Nakheel has awarded a Dh150 million project to the Dubai-based contractor Overseas AST to build an 11-kilometre boardwalk at the Palm Jumeirah as it attempts to draw more tourists to the manmade island.
The six-metre wide walkway will be built over the rocks on the outer edge of the crescent around the Palm which form a protective breakwater. This will double the width of the existing crescent path which runs past the luxury resorts Atlantis and Rixos.
In a statement yesterday, Nakheel said that the boardwalk would include 30 new kiosks selling snacks and souvenirs.
It added that it would also include two piers stretching 100 metres out to sea at either end of the crescent which would include cafes and restaurants, each containing 1,000 square metres of decking.
Construction is due to start before the end of the year and is expected to be completed in 2016.
In January Nakheel said it had named the engineering firm Halcrow as the design consultant for the boardwalk.
Initial plans for the project were announced by the developer at Cityscape 2013, as part of a plan to transform the crescent into a walking, shopping and dining destination.
“The boardwalk at Palm Jumeirah, one of several new projects under way on the island, will be a big draw for Palm residents, the wider community of Dubai and the millions of tourists who visit Dubai each year,” a Nakheel spokesman said.
The news comes as Nakheel has resumed work on a number of projects on the island that were stalled after the 2008 property crash.
Last week at Cityscape, Nakheel revealed plans to resume work on its Dh2.5 billion Palm Gateway project at the entrance to the Palm. The original project was due to be completed in 2011.
And in May Nakheel awarded a Dh1.2bn contract to the UAE firms United Engineering Construction and Actco General Contracting to build the long-awaited 418,000 square metre Palm Mall at the centre of the island under a private finance initiative.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
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