Dutch firm wins design contract for landmark Dubai bridge

The design competition for the new 450 metre bridge connecting Dubai's largest Palm Island has been won by engineers Royal Haskoning, the firm behind London's futuristic Canary Wharf station.

The firm has been appointed by developers Nakheel to move forward with the engineering and tendering process for what is expected to become yet another landmark in Dubai.

The eight lane motorway bridge to Jebel Ali will be supported by 72 stay cables and have two 135 metre high pylons. There will also be pavements for cyclists and pedestrians.

'We are extremely excited to be involved in this new project which is vast in its ambition and scope. To achieve the winning design for such a pioneering development is a milestone for us and hopefully a lasting landmark for the region,' said company spokesman Henry Rowe.

Meanwhile the winning bidder for another major Dubai project, the £5.5 billion Arabian Canal, is to be announced soon.

Dubai's state-owned developer Limitless will appoint a contractor for the first phase of the major earthworks project this month, it said.

The company said it has received bids from 10 construction companies for the contract, from both local and international firms. 'Construction of the canal involves one of the biggest excavations ever undertaken in the region. The sheer size of the project means that it will be split into 10 different packages in total,' said Ian Raine, project director for the Arabian Canal.

The first package involves the excavation of an 8km stretch of the waterway at the northern end of the inland section of the canal. It will run 2.5km to the west of the Dubai bypass and 5.5km to the east.

Earlier this month, Limitless announced that pilot excavation work on the 75km canal has shifted more than 1.5 million cubic metres of earth – enough to fill 600 Olympic-size swimming pools.