Dubai-based Nakheel has awarded contracts for design and supervision services on its Deira Islands project.

The developer has appointed US-based AE7 for the design and supervision services including masterplanning and infrastructure design for the new 15.3-square-kilometre waterfront city, under a deal worth AED28m ($7.6m).

The same firm was also awarded another contract worth AED19.5m covering architectural and engineering services for the Night market and Board Walk, two main attractions on the 4.5 million-square-metre south island. The creekside destination will be accessible from the mainland by road bridges and abras. The island’s other attractions will include a large shopping mall, an amphitheatre for 30,000 people and a marina that can accommodate large yachts.

Tender documents for the construction of infrastructure are expected to be released during mid-May, the company said.

MEED reported last month that Nakheel and Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) are working together to build two new bridges that will connect the Deira Islands development with mainland Dubai.

Work is still ongoing on bridges connecting to Deira Islands that were originally planned as access bridges for the Palm Deira scheme, which in 2013 was rationalised and became Deira Islands.

In 2008, the RTA awarded the local/Belgian Bel Hasa Six Construct a AED300m deal to build the access bridge. The bridge will be 400 metres long, with six lanes in each direction. US-based Parsons International is the consultant. Bel Hasa Six Construct’s contract is understood to be nearing completion. Nakheel provided the funding for the bridge, while the RTA managed the design and the construction.