SOMERVILLE, MA – The Green Line Extension has received its first federal payment, a small, but key milestone in the project's progress. According to reports, project manager John Dalton confirmed that the Federal Transit Administration transferred $1.7 million to the project Friday morning.

The FTA last month approved $34.5 million in grants to the reinvigorated Green Line Extension project. This is the first federal payment received by the long-embattled project. The state has spent about $536 million so far in its efforts to extend the Green Line into Somerville and Medford. Production was halted two years ago amid skyrocketing budget estimates, forcing a scaled-back design that is expected to cost $2.3 billion and add seven new stops in Somerville and Medford.

The redesign includes a reduction in station size, the vehicle maintenance facility and walls and bridges, as well as a name change for two of the stations – they will now be called Magoun Square and East Somerville. Most significantly, the Somerville Community Path, a key commuter thoroughfare for bicyclists and pedestrians, has been scaled back. The smaller path – which Dalton said "meets the spirit of the original community path" – drew the most ire from residents at a community meeting in Somerville in December.

Earlier this year, three design-build firms were shortlisted for the Green Line contract. One is expected to be chosen by the fall.

According to the State House News Service, Dalton said he will likely give the selected design-build team the green light on Dec. 11, about two months ahead of schedule. The project is still expected to be completed by the end of 2021.