Project requiring Green Line Extension closure postponed to September

The Green Line's Union Square stop will remain open this summer after all.

State officials on Wednesday announced they will postpone a Somerville bridge construction project until September. The change also means scrapping earlier plans to shut down trolley service between Union Square and Lechmere for 42 days.

Gov. Maura Healey's office announced the about-face less than a week after the MBTA unveiled plans to take the one-stop branch — which only opened to the public in March 2022 as part of the long-awaited Green Line Extension — offline from July 18 to Aug. 28.

At the time, T officials said the closure would allow the Department of Transportation to perform "critical repair work" on the bridge, which crosses over train tracks near Union Square Station.

Officials now appear to have changed their minds on when the work should take place.

"MassDOT crews inspected the bridge over the weekend and determined it is safe to delay repairs until September so that the closure does not occur at the same time as the Sumner Tunnel closure and to allow appropriate time to explore mitigation options and communicate with the public," Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand said in a statement Wednesday. "The administration is grateful for the feedback we received from local officials and community members and will maintain close communication as we work to reschedule the Squire Bridge construction."

Officials have been encouraging commuters to "ditch the drive" and travel by public transit during the two-month closure of the Sumner Tunnel that began Wednesday, which is forecast to bring major traffic to the region's already-congested roadways.