The cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure met on Tuesday but took no decision on awarding the contract for the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link, the first connecting arm of the Bandra Worli Sea Link.

The contract, expected to go to a consortium led by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, is awaiting the endorsement of Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who has promised that work on the sea link will commence soon. It is not clear if it will be awarded before the code of conduct is enforced for the Assembly elections.

The 3.6-km sea link will be built at an estimated cost between Rs 4,500 crore and Rs 5,000 crore. Subject to Cabinet clearance, work could start by the year-end and completed in three years.

The project involves a 1.5-km cloverleaf interchange from the second carriageway of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link to the Worli end. The cloverleaf interchange would loop over the southbound carriageway and connect at the Worli end, near Thadani Junction.

The Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium has quoted nearly Rs 1,000 crore less than the other consortium that bid, Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) with John Laing and Korean giant Samsung.