The Palm Jebel Ali progress moves to new phase

This process began with the award of a contract to Samsung to build six of 8 bridges connecting the mainland to the trunk and crescent sections. Work has begun on the bridges which will eventually link to an estimated 125 km of roads on The Palm Jebel Ali.

The Palm Jebel Ali is a landmark commercial, residential, and tourism development for Dubai, which, along with the Dubai Waterfront project, will transform an area of empty desert and sea into a bustling international community, with an estimated population of 1.7 million people by 2020.

Work on The Palm Jebel Ali began in May 2002 with the construction of the breakwater and the beginning of land reclamation, while ground improvement works began in August 2006. This latest development builds on the success of the previous phases with completion of the bridges due by November 2010, and the final element of the project's infrastructure - largely including work on the 'spine' and 'fronds' - set to finish by the end of 2012.

The Palm Jebel Ali is actually two unconnected islands, each with their own infrastructure and connection to the mainland. The first consists of a 'trunk' leading up from the shore, a 'spine', and sixteen 'fronds' which span off the spine. Surrounding this palm shape, the second is a crescent formed of five segments in a semicircle linked by bridges. Splitting the channel between the crescent and the palm is an inspirational poem in Arabic 'written' with pontoons and visible from the air and lit at night time by an innovative dynamic lighting system.

Land reclamation along the lines of the original masterplan is 100% complete, with additional reclamation to widen the spine and to lengthen the fronds currently underway

Marwan Al Qamzi, Managing Director, The Palm Jebel Ali, said: 'Work on The Palm Jebel Ali is proceeding extremely well, and it is a testament to the quality of both our internal team and our contractors that we are now in a position to move on to this new phase of development.

'The first stage of reclamation is now fully complete, and the full shape of The Palm Jebel Ali can now be seen from above - an amazing sight. What we are beginning now is the process of turning this achievement into a living, working city with a wealth of residential, commercial and tourism offerings for Dubai.'

Dave Chung, Regional Director, Business Development for Samsung, said: 'Samsung are extremely pleased to be working with Nakheel in delivering a key stage of one of the world's newest landmarks. The Palm Jebel Ali is an incredible feat of engineering and we are duly proud to be part of that legacy.

'For Samsung, this is a particularly significant contract as it signals our ambition, shared with Nakheel, to turn the most ambitious projects in the world into reality. That is a vision which is very much at the heart of Dubai's growth, and we are in a fantastic position to play a crucial role in its progress.'