"Construction of the 1,290-metre flyover, connecting E M Bypass with VIP Road, will involve minimum traffic diversions," said P R Baviskar, CEO of KMDA, on Friday. A team of KMDA engineers will inspect the area on Saturday. "We'll start work at the Salt Lake triangle on one side and VIP Road on the other," said Debdas Bhattacharya, KMDA chief engineer.

The project, sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, would have started exactly a year ago, had the Centre not drastically reduced the project cost by Rs 55 crore when the detailed project report was submitted three years ago. Subsequently, the state government invited tenders seeking the minimum project cost but as the price of cement and steel shot up, the amount quoted by those who submitted bids was Rs 68.02 crore. Then, the government retendered the project and the minimum amount offered was Rs 90 crore.