In light of a recent bit of bad news, it’s unclear whether the following will alleviate any doubts regarding the future of the MBTA’s Green Line Extension. But alas, Notices to Proceed with the first three of four bid packages for phase 2/2A of the billion-dollar construction project have been received.

“In plain speak,” City of Somerville spokesperson Daniel DeMaina told BostInno in an email, “that means construction is underway to build to Washington Street and Union Square.”

Construction had been given the green light by Thursday, October 2.

That night, during a GLX Working Group meeting, those anxiously awaiting the arrival of new Green Line stations found out they’ll have to wait a little bit longer than expected. The opening dates for Washington St. and Union Square Stations have been pushed back to December 2017, about a year later than formerly estimated – 2016 or early 2017.

Both stations, along with the relocation of Lechmere Station in Cambridge, are included in Phase 2 of the GLX. In total, the project is expected to add six new stations and a 4.5-mile track extension between Cambridge, Somerville and Medford.

Planned new stations Lowell Street, Gilman Square, Ball Square and College Avenue (Medford) are included in Phase 4. The start of construction on this phase of the project is currently slated for November 2015.

Those stations are now expected to open in summer 2020, instead of 2019, as was previously estimated.

The designs for stations included in Phase 2, as of Oct. 2, are 90 percent complete; and designs for Phase 4 stations are 60 percent complete.

The GLX project currently carries an estimated price-tag of $1.9 billion – of which $300 million has been designated for use if the project isn’t completed on time.

Photo via James Wang