Work set to start on Saadiyat Island marina district

TDIC is seeking contractors for underground work in a sign that the project is making progress.

The model of the Saadiyat Island master plan on display at the TDIC Stall at Cityscape. Pawan Singh / The National

Saadiyat Island’s marina district is taking shape as the master developer seeks companies that can start work on the project.

Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) is seeking pre-qualification bids from contractors ahead of a tender for work on underground infrastructure such as sewage and storm water lines, sewage pumping station, and irrigation transmission lines.

This is the second project in a month on the island that showed signs of progress. The Saadiyat Island plans were announced in 2006.

Earlier this month, TDIC sought similar pre-qualification bids for construction of nine residential buildings on the island. It was not clear in which district the buildings would be located, but TDIC said the project would be announced by the end of the year.

Under the master plan, the marina district will feature apartments, luxury hotels and commercial spaces.

The cultural district comprises three museums - Guggenheim, Louvre and Shaikh Zayed Museum. Among its other districts, the island has a beach area with five-star hotels and resorts, a Saadiyat promenade and Saadiyat Lagoons. A Saadiyat Reserve, with wetlands and mangroves, complete the island.

Residential apartments and villas on Saadiyat Island are some of the most expensive in the emirate. Apartments were going for around Dh1,500 per square foot, according to property websites.

TDIC lost Dh1.13 billion last year amid a writedown of more than Dh600 million on hospitality assets, narrowing its annual losses from Dh2.15 billion in 2012.

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