SINGAPORE - Motorists driving into Malaysia on Thursday faced traffic snarls ahead of the Good Friday long weekend, leading to travel delays similar to those seen in recent weeks.

This time, traffic was heavy at both checkpoints heading into Johor. At both the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints, the tailback from Malaysia led to delays at the Singapore departure points, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Heavy departure traffic into Johor was reported at Woodlands Checkpoint as early as 11am on Thursday.

In a Facebook post, ICA said: “Delays are expected and travellers are advised to check traffic conditions before embarking on their journey.”

A live camera feed on the OneMotoring portal showed heavy congestion at both checkpoints throughout the day on Thursday.

A check at 8pm using the Beat The Jam app showed that travellers crossing the Causeway could expect to take between six and seven hours to get into Malaysia, and those crossing at Tuas could expect to take between seven and eight hours.

This year, Good Friday falls on April 7 and it is a public holiday for Singaporeans. Another likely reason for the traffic congestion could be the Qing Ming Festival, which started on April 5.

In an update at 7.40pm on Thursday night, ICA said there was very heavy departure traffic at both the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints following continuous tailbacks from Malaysia.

On March 30, ICA said heavy traffic at the Qing Ming Festival and Good Friday weekend was to be expected, and those planning to cross the land checkpoints between April 3 and April 11 via car or bus were advised to factor in additional time for immigration clearance.

More than one million travellers crossed the land checkpoints at the Good Friday weekend in 2019, ICA added.