The BD1 billion ($2.7 billion) Water Garden City project in Bahrain has taken a step forward with the appointment of RB International to design bridges at the major development.

The firm has been appointed by Al Bilad Real Estate, which studied tenders from several international firms specialising in bridge design.

Al Bilad is the main developer of the Water Garden City project and general manager Ziyad Abdullatif Janahi said the deal means work is going ahead on track.

'The company that was appointed, RB International, came after a comprehensive study conducted by the technical team working on the project,' he said.

'A number of companies participated in this bid and we had to select the company that provided the highest quality of standards and design to form the perfect added value to the project and the region in general.'

RB International is a Malaysian company specialised in bridge design, tunnels and infrastructure and has completed projects in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The Water Garden City project consists of commercial buildings, offices, shops and restaurants overlooking the waterfront and a marina near the Bahrain Financial Harbour.

It will also include residential buildings and hotels and is designed to accommodate up to 25,000 people in the long term, in addition to 10,000 visitors a day.-TradeArabia News Service