Master developer Nakheel has reached a major milestone at Deira Islands with the completion of the Dh150-million ($41 million) access bridge in collaboration with Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).

Nakheel thanked the RTA for its assistance in overseeing the construction of the road bridge linking mainland Dubai with Deira Islands, its 15.3-sq-km retail waterfront city.  

Funded and constructed by Nakheel as part of its Dh1-billion ($272 million) infrastructure works at Deira Islands, the new bridge is now complete and set to open on Friday, said a statement from the developer.

Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah said: "We thank the RTA for its assistance and co-operation in supervising the construction and completion of this vital element of Deira Islands. The bridge is a key part of the ongoing infrastructure at the development, and we are extremely proud to have reached this milestone."

The bridge starts at Al Khaleej Road and leads to a Deira Islands A. Currently, access is limited to construction teams and authorised visitors.

Set to contribute significantly to Dubai’s tourism vision, Deira Islands will be a world-class hub for tourism, leisure, retail and entertainment. The development is expected to have around 250,000 residents and create 80,000 new jobs, it stated.  

The project will add 40 km, including 21 km of beachfront, to Dubai’s coastline, and will contain hundreds of new hotels, serviced apartments and mixed-use buildings as well as extensive retail and leisure attractions.

Nakheel said it is building 16 residential towers, five hotels, two serviced apartment complexes, the 420,000-sq-m Deira Mall, the 5,300-outlet Night Souk and several marinas at the islands.

The infrastructure works in Stage One, covering two of the four islands that make up Deira Islands, was completed ahead of time in September this year, it stated.

The work included more than a million sq m of soil improvement, 44 km of sewage lines and 12 km of roads. Stage Two infrastructure works are under way, it added.-TradeArabia News Service