Access to Blue Water island off Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), including bridges for an Automated Personal Rapid Transit System or podcars, will open in December, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Saturday.

According to RTA, 85 per cent of the work on the construction of flyovers linking Shaikh Zayed Road and the Blue Water island, which will house the world’s largest Ferris Wheel (Dubai Eye), have been completed.

The Dh475 million project includes several bridges offering direct access to vehicular traffic from Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road. The project also includes bridges for the podcars from Nakheel Harbour and Tower metro station to the island.

A teleferic cable car system and a footbridge will also link the island to the mainland.

“The island will be served by an automated personal rapid transit system to transport visitors from the metro station, a footbridge will be constructed to link the luxury island with the waterfront of the JBR, and a teleferic cable car will be in place to shuttle visitors from and to the entertainment zone,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA.

The project, which is being built in conjunction with Meraas Holding Group, will have a main bridge of two lanes in each direction stretching 1,400 metres in length and 25 metres in width.

It will also include two lanes, 5.5 metres in width, designated for the podcars.

Ramps and a two-lane bridge from Shaikh Zayed Road to the island, and a single-lane ramp from Al Khail Road to the island are also part of the project.

“The bridges will provide free movement for motorists inbound from Abu Dhabi on Shaikh Zayed Road heading towards Blue Water island, and those inbound from Al Khail Road through Qarn Al Sabkha Street heading towards the island. It will also provide seamless traffic movement from the island to Dubai and Abu Dhabi via Shaikh Zayed Road,” said Al Tayer.

He said that the bridges meet the needs of Blue Water island overlooking JBR, which promises to be one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the UAE.

Apart from the Dubai Eye, the island is set to have retail, residential, hospitality and entertainment zones.

It will also host a boutique five-star hotel and varied residential options, in addition to a bespoke ‘souq’ encircled by a promenade that will boast al fresco dining outlets serving a wide variety of cuisines. The island is expected to attract more than three million visitors per year.