The project to reconfigure the East Lake Sammamish Parkway could cost less than was initially projected.

The city council today released a press statement saying that two bids for the project had come in under the engineering estimates of about $8 million.

One bid came it at $5.7 million.

Another, which covered some added features, came in at $6.1 million.

“With the economy in a major slowdown, we hoped we could save Sammamish taxpayers a lot of money,” Deputy City Manager Pete Butkus said. “Thanks to this favorable bidding climate, we’re going to save around $2.1 million.”

The parkway project will reconfigure the intersection at Inglewood Hill Road and extend improvements north along the parkway for about four-tenths of a mile.

In addition to increasing the flow of traffic through the intersection, the city hopes the project will make major safety and environmental improvements.

After reviewing the bids, the city is expected to award the contract in the next week or two.