SINGAPORE — The centrepiece of the upcoming Woodlands Gateway project will be a major mixed-use transport hub, bedecked with acres of shopping and office spaces, and green areas for leisure, with direct links to rail lines.
Underground, there are plans to build a network of roads that will take heavy vehicles and trucks directly to industrial offices and keep the ground level free of heavy traffic.
The Gateway's grounds will also feature community facilities like parks and sky links for pedestrians and cyclists, linking them to the larger neighbourhood.
JTC Corporation, in tender documents seen by The Straits Times, outlined plans for the mega-project.
It said: "As the first rail entry point from Malaysia, Woodlands Gateway is envisioned as an iconic northern gateway, designed to offer travellers a strong impression when entering the city-state.
"By seamlessly integrating transport, commercial and industrial functions into a single district, the development will serve as a prominent showcase of Singapore's leadership in mixed-use planning, innovation and design."
The transport hub will be completed by about 2030, and will be about 5.66ha or nearly eight football fields.
It will be located within the 35ha Woodlands Gateway project, which will be about the size of the Sports Hub precinct.
JTC said the first phase of construction comprises a bus interchange with an area of about 6,500 sq m — the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will need to approve the design — and 28,000 sq m of retail space, as well as 22,000 sq m of flexible office spaces.
The hub will connect directly to the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link and the Woodlands North MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line.
JTC, a statutory board that falls under the Trade and Industry Ministry, said the development is envisioned as an integrated transportation hub that will bring together multiple transport modes into a "seamless, efficient and future-ready interchange".
Beyond the hub, the project also features two blocks of factories taking up 104,000 sq m, with one phase of construction to finish by around 2031, and the next phase to end by 2034.
In response to ST queries on July 8, JTC said the commercial and lifestyle facilities in Woodlands Gateway will cater to new demand from passengers in transit, as well as residents and employees in nearby residential estates and industry developments.
Professorial research fellow Harvey Neo, who is director of the Master in Urban Science, Policy and Planning programme at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), said the Woodlands Gateway project is a good example of a transit-oriented development where residents will reap benefits from having retail and job options in a transport node.
He added that freeing up valuable above-ground space through the underground heavy vehicle network will make the place more walkable and user-friendly for residents and pedestrians.
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However, the benefits of the underground network depend on how it is rolled out because it will need to be well-connected to loading docks and goods lifts and also aligned with tenants' operating patterns to be truly useful, he said.
Otherwise, it risks becoming an operationally underused piece of infrastructure, he added.
Neo said Woodlands will become a border town once the RTS Link opens, and the Woodlands Gateway district will increase the vibrancy of the town - beyond its current image as a mature area that is a little worn-out.
Professor Khoo Peng Beng, head of the architecture and sustainable design pillar at SUTD, said the upcoming district has the "regenerative possibility to create life" around connectivity from the RTS Link.
The mixed-use development, he added, has the potential to uplift and transform the entire Woodlands town.
It will also create a rich urban ecosystem in which transport brings in people, retail creates activities, offices produce jobs and industrial activities support innovation, he said.
Independent architecture consultant Jeffrey Ho said the success of the district will rely on the synergy of other developments in the area.
These include the redevelopment of Kranji Turf Club, Republic Polytechnic, Woodlands New Town, Woodlands Industrial Park and Sungei Kadut, said Ho, who is also adjunct associate professor at the National University of Singapore.
The redevelopment of nearby areas will ensure that the new Woodlands Gateway is part of a long-term plan that complements the RTS Link and adapts itself for future uses, he added.
The Woodlands Gateway precinct is expected to anchor more than 25,000 jobs and tap cross-border business opportunities that emerge when the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link is up and running.
It will also be a key plank in helping to strengthen the development of the Woodlands region into a business hub away from the city centre.
The RTS Link will be able to transport up to 10,000 travellers an hour in each direction when it becomes operational by end-2026.
On June 30, JTC put up an invitation for firms to indicate interest in providing design consultancy and site supervision services for the Gateway project.
Shortlisted firms can also submit their detailed proposals for evaluation.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
