All formalities should be done by Friday and on December 11 works can officially begin on Japan’s new National Stadium. It will be ready less than 8 months ahead of the 2020 Olympics.

According to Kyodo news agency the groundbreaking ceremony for new National Olympic Stadium is scheduled for December 11. The agency quotes Japan Sport Council insider as the source, also claiming that actual work may even begin ahead of the ceremony.

Later this week all formal proceedings should be over and consortium of contractors led by Taisei Corp. may enter the construction site. They have a fixed deadline of November 30, 2019, leaving under 36 months to complete Japan’s most expensive stadium in history.

Valued at ¥149 billion ($1.33 billion), the building will be delivered less than 8 months ahead of the 2020 Olympics, if handed over as planned. That’s less time than is desired for the central venue of Japan’s 2nd Summer Olympcis, but will leave enough time for test events.

With over 68,000 seats the stadium will become Japan’s second largest, falling behind Yokohama’s Nissan Stadium. It will replace the former National Olympic Stadium, demolished in 2015. Works have been stalled for over two years due to late change of the project’s design and scale. While still huge, the new stadium’s cost might be under half of what the initial one was estimated to consume.