Dubai: Bluewaters Island bridges ‘85% complete’

Gavin Davids

8 years ago

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has said that work on the Bluewaters Island access bridges is 85% complete.

Bluewaters Island – set opposite to Jumeirah Beach Residences (JBR) – is geared towards tourism and is set to be home to world’s largest Ferris wheel, a five-star hotel, as well as retail, residential and entertainment zones.

Work on the bridges – undertaken by the RTA in conjunction with developer Meraas Holding Group at a cost of $129 million – is likely be completed by December 2016.

“The project, which is nearing completion, aims to construct bridges leading to Bluewaters Island linked with the JBR Interchange 5.5 on the Sheikh Zayed Road. Bridges providing access to the Island comprise of a main bridge of two lanes in each direction stretching 1400m in length and 25m in width,” stated Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the RTA, in a statement.

“The bridges include two lanes of 5.5m in width designated for the planned Automated Personal Rapid Transit System to ease the mobility of visitors from and to the metro station (Nakheel Harbour & Tower) on the Sheikh Zayed Road nearby the Island.

“The project also includes the construction of ramps and a two-lane bridge from Dubai to the Island, and a single-lane ramp from Al Khail Road to the Island as well.”

Once complete, the bridges will provide free movement for motorists inbound from Abu Dhabi on the Sheikh Zayed Road, heading towards Bluewaters Island, and those travelling inbound from Al Khail through Qarn Al Sabkha Street.

“It would also provide seamless traffic movement from the Island to Dubai and Abu Dhabi via the Sheikh Zayed Road. Project construction works also include road connections, lighting, bridges and other infrastructure works such as the shifting of impacted utility lines, as well as the construction of new ones for power, water, irrigation, sewage, and telecommunications among others,” Al Tayer said.