Construction on the second of three phases of the Neponset River Greenway will soon get under way as the project to connect Readville’s Martini Shell to South Boston’s Castle Island continues on schedule and on budget, according to Jack Murray, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“This has been a real priority of the governor’s,” Murray told the Reporter. “He’s directed us to get this project in the ground before the end of his term and we’re working hard to make it happen.”

Earlier: Governor commits to build-out of Neponset Greenway, 2013

The project, which was approved in 2013 and scheduled for completion in March 2016, was allocated $16.8 million for design, permitting, and construction for a pathway connecting the Blue Hills to the Boston Harbor. The state Department of Transportation is funding the work.

The DCR will begin accepting bids on Oct. 15 for the construction of 1.3 miles of greenway beginning in Mattapan Square, running up River Street before traveling over a bridge across the Neponset River at Ryan Park. The path will then run through a portion of Milton next to the existing MBTA trolley tracks up to the existing way on Central Avenue.

The first phase cost just shy of $1 million. The second segment will cost $12 million, a higher price tag because of the bridge crossing the Neponset, Murray said. Once construction is complete there, crews will break ground on the final phase. The final “missing link” in the pathway will run north from Port Norfolk to Victory Road, extending around the iconic gas tank in Dorchester Bay before connecting with the existing Harbor Walk.

Roughly 50 percent of the pathway is complete, with the first phase between Hyde Park and Mattapan Square finished and open to pedestrians. The trail sees 10,400 users each day, a number expected to double once it is completed.

“The agency is really excited to be partnering with Dorchester community groups,” Murray said. “The Boston Natural Areas Network and the Neponset River Greenway Council deserve a lot of credit for their continued advocacy and making sure the elected leaders make this a priority.”