By Haley ED Houseman

The future of the Green Line Extension is far from certain at this point in time, as planners and MBTA officials work the budget with an eye for finalizing a plan by April 7.

The much-bedeviled Green Line Extension Project by MBTA will find the footing for its future in the spring. It may or may not go forward, but new proposals for project design, schedule and a revamped budget estimate will be presented on April 7, as reported by the MBTA Green Line Extension Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MBTA-Green-Line-Extension-53151441680/?fref=photo).

The GLX project faced a major setback at the end of 2015, when it was put on hold and its contractors were fired after cost estimates ballooned to nearly $3 billion. The MBTA and Department of Transportation cited reports by consultants that the T has mismanaged the newly implemented contracting process, which allowed the contractors to take advantage, and costs to skyrocket. Consultants also noted that the project has not yet had a reliable, accurate budget from which the T could work.

For the next four to five months, an interim team will be overseeing the project, headed by former Massachusetts transportation official Jack Wright. A second consultant is taking over the redesign of the project; John Karn has consulted with the T on the project previously, and has called upon to accrue significant savings on the extension by adapting the goals to incorporate more existing infrastructure, and other cost-saving measures. Construction consultant Matthew Poirier, as well as three MassDOT employees will complete the team.

Despite a legal mandate for the project, which required a transportation plan to offset for the impact of the Big Dig, the MBTA has not ruled out cancelling the extension altogether. Decisions will rest on the new plans to be presented, as well as a scheduled May 11th submission of new finance plan for the project to be presented to the MBTA and MassDOT. Should the GLX project survive, a permanent team will be installed to run the operations.