[1] The distance between Singapore's Woodlands Checkpoint and Malaysia's Bangunan Sultan Iskandar is approximately 2.4 km (1.5 mi).

[2][3] A few continue to reside within Johor and commute daily with either public or private motorised transportation to and from Singapore, enduring long journey times with extremely heavy traffic congestion on weekdays.

[4][5] The border is handled by immigration authorities of both countries at the Southern Integrated Gateway (Malaysia) and Woodlands Checkpoint (Singapore) respectively.

Both countries permit pedestrians to walk along the entire length of the causeway on foot, although this is not common[6][7] and is generally limited to instances of standstill vehicular congestion throughout the partial or entire length of the causeway, which prevents passengers from boarding regular-hour cross-border public buses after clearing immigration.

[9] At the turn of the 20th century, British Malaya was transformed into a major producer and exporter of raw materials such as tin, rubber, gambier, and pepper for international markets.

[13] As international trade demands grew, it was necessary to operate the ferry link round-the-clock in 1911 to bring the commodities from British Malaya into Singapore to be transshipped.

[15]His suggestion was to have the foundation to be laid in the soft "white and pink clays" at the proposed site, have an opening span for ships to be allowed through the bridge, and have the rubble sourced from the quarries at Pulau Ubin and Bukit Timah as there were ample granite being sold at reasonable prices.

[17] The British government had consultant engineers Messrs Coode, Fitzmaurice, Wilson & Mitchell of Westminster to prepare plans for the eventual Causeway.

Tidal studies were carried out prior to the construction and design features were incorporated in consideration to the structure itself, its surroundings, and continued ship passage through the Straits.

[21] The Johore Sultan, Sultan Ibrahim, the newly appointed Governor of Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the FMS, Sir Laurence Guillemard, his wife among other invited guests graced the ceremony on board Sea Belle, a sea yacht, in the middle of the Straits.

The ceremony commenced with prayers and Governor Guillemard was invited to pull a silken cord which activated machinery to empty a load of rubble from a barge into the water.

[29] As the Japanese invasion of Malaya drew to a close, the Allied forces under the command of Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival began retreating from their positions in Johore, crossing the Causeway in the early hours of 31 January 1942.

Plans were made to introduce immigration controls at the Causeway, however, a system of strict identity card checks was implemented instead.

The Causeway became an internal state border when the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak merged to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963.

On 22 July 1964, as part of a curfew after racial riots in Singapore, the Causeway was closed to travellers without police permission.

[39][40] In March 2023, it was reported that about 376,000 people crossed Singapore's land checkpoints (including both the Causeway and the Second Link) every day.

[42] On 28 March 2024, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, 510,000 people crossed the Singapore-Malaysia land borders ahead of a 3-day Good Friday weekend.

Travellers in cars passing through Singapore’s Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints can clear immigration using QR codes – instead of their passports.

The overall waiting time can be reduced by more than 30 per cent if most car travellers use QR codes for immigration clearance, said the Singapore authorities.

MySejahtera's MyTripQR code clearance system was officially launched at the Second Link checkpoint between Singapore and Malaysia at the beginning of this month, but is currently only available for motorcycle lanes and bus passengers.

Sultan Iskandar Building is the customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex handling road traffic and pedestrians.

JB Sentral also serves as the southbound exit immigration and customs checkpoint for rail passengers heading toward Singapore.

The new Woodlands Checkpoint, built partially on reclaimed land, was opened in 1999 to accommodate the increasing traffic flow and the soot which had enveloped the old customs complex over the years.

Southbound rail passengers clear Malaysian exit controls at JB Sentral, and Singapore immigration and customs on arrival at Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

Under the Mahathir Mohamad administration, the Malaysian government scheduled to build a new customs, immigration and quarantine complex on a hilltop near the Johor Bahru railway station.

[49] The construction of the new scenic bridge on Malaysian side officially began on 10 March 2006, when the piling works of this bridge was completed,[50] but on 12 April 2006, construction was halted and scrapped by Mahathir's successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, with growing complications in both negotiation (the conditions set by Singapore were strongly opposed by the people of Malaysia on grounds of national sovereignty) and legal matters with Singapore.

"[53] That same year however, the Sultan of Johor called for the demolition of the link, reasoning that the Causeway is undermining the state economy as it is causing a brain drain.

In Singapore, the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) charges apply to cars and motorcycles that have utilised the 10-VEP free days.

With the construction of the causeway, the water flow across the Straits of Johor has been interrupted, especially after the permanent closure of the lock channel post World War II.

In 2006, it was reported in Malaysian news that the straits were a health hazard due to the causeway blocking water flow,[58] to which Singaporean authorities refuted the claim stating that the study quoted in the news report found that the sources of pollution were from Sungai Johor and Pasir Gudang.