Woodlands, Singapore

Singapore Busiest and Cleanest Town

Woodlands, or the Woodlands New Town  is a suburban town in northern Singapore, part of the North West Community Development Council (Northwest CDC) district. The town should not be confused with the Woodlands constituency within the Woodlands New Town in the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

Woodlands is adjacent to Sembawang New Town and Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate, and is connected to Malaysia's southernmost city, Johor Bahru, by the Johor-Singapore Causeway. Woodlands is also connected to Yishun via Gambas Avenue and Senoko Industrial Park via Woodlands Avenue 10.

Woodlands has one of the largest shopping malls in Singapore. It is also home to the Singapore Sports School, Republic Polytechnic, and Innova Junior College.

When Singapore was established as a trading port in 1823, Woodlands connected the Malayan Peninsula to the natural port in Singapore, connecting the two states in 1924 via the Johor-Singapore Causeway.

A town still in development, Woodlands is quite an ever-changing town, with a distinct style, apart from the hectic lifestyle familiar in downtown and older parts of Singapore. From the beginning of development during the 1970s to expand Marsiling, Woodlands has grown into a huge neighborhood, home to the many different people from all walks of life. 

Woodlands is one of the early development successes in Singapore, becoming today's model for future transportation, entertainment, leisure and education developments within an estate.

"Woodlands" is also the name of the primary estate in the town, containing most of the commercial activities, such as Woodlands Square, the town's commercial hub, consisting of buildings and services of high standards. Built on a hill, Woodlands Square consists of a large hectare of grassland, houses the gala events or celebrations at different times of the year; a large mall, Causeway Point, oversees the Woodlands MRT Station and the Woodlands Civic Centre.

There are wide ranges of housing apartment blocks, some of which serve as the finest example of architecture in Singapore. Woodlands is highly accessible, compared to the other estates in the town: Feeder bus routes run within the estate, and large avenues allow a seamless flow of traffic. Woodlands is highly urbanised, however, and at times permitting, buildings were built a distance away from heavy-used roads in a distinctive style of post-independence Singapore. Buildings are phased closely together, developing in a carefully planned pattern.

Woodlands is highly accessible, connected by major roads and expressways, with a relatively large underground bus interchange, the Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange and an elevated MRT station next to Causeway Point at Woodlands Square. Most of the bus routes are operated by SMRT Buses, while SMRT Trains operate the MRT stations.

Residents of Woodlands are serviced by three MRT stations, at the centre of the suburb, Woodlands MRT Station; north of the suburb, Marsiling MRT Station and Southeast of the suburb, Admiralty MRT Station. The regional bus interchange was relocated from the previous Town Centre, Woodlands Town Centre, to the current town centre at Woodlands Square.

Woodlands MRT Station

Land transportation in Woodlands is relatively efficient, in comparison to other estates, contrasting by the amount of well-maintained roads, though a common sight in Singapore. Twelve avenues support and help circulate all of the traffic of the town, especially Avenue 2|Avenues 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12.

Avenue 2 is a shorter route from the older estates of the town to the Bukit Timah Expressway. Avenue 3 connects Marsiling from the exit of Bukit Timah Expressway to Woodlands Centre Road, the sole road to the checkpoint of Woodlands Customs. The rest of it maintains a similar route of the MRT line from Marsiling MRT Station to Woodlands MRT Station, which connects to Woodlands Square. As the avenue ends at the entrance of the slope of Woodlands Square (the road that circulates Woodlands Square), another end starts the Woodlands Avenue 7, which connects Woodlands to Admiralty, also the route of the MRT line from Woodlands MRT Station to Admiralty MRT Station.

Divisions within estates are further connected and regulated by two- or single lane roads called streets, which are distinguished by a suffix of double-digit numbers, such as Woodlands Street 82 and Woodlands Street 83. This was a common practice before the late '90s. Drives are two- or single lane roads built for newer divisions within an estate, similar to that of the streets.

Links and crescents are often three-, two-, or single lane roads that convey commuters from a main road to another main road, such as the Woodlands Link, which connects Woodlands Avenue 9 to the main roads in the Woodlands Industrial Park. Crescents connect main roads to streets or drives.

Story Arrangement By: Travelers Log Book

Sources: wikipedia

Picture: wikipedia.com