The Mattapoisett Bike Path Committee went the extra mile over the past year to get the second phase of the project underway.

The current path begins at Mattapoisett Neck Road and extends one mile to connect to Fairhaven’s bike path.

Committee Chair Steve Kelleher said there was some controversy over the path at the beginning. But he said, “Everyone has been gung ho since the first mile was finished.”

For second phase of the project, the committee is working to add an additional mile that will bring the path to Depot Street in Mattapoisett Village.

“Basically in 2012, we were trying to get our engineers to get drawings for it,” said Committee Chair Steve Kelleher.

Once the project plans were completed, the committee submitted them to the Department of Transportation. After reviewing them, the DOT responded with a staggering 102 questions that had to be answered before the Committee could move forward.

“We got all 102 answered. We’re very hopeful,” said Kelleher.

The project, estimated at $2.3 million, will be brought to a public hearing by the DOT in the spring to give residents an opportunity to ask questions.

Kelleher hopes the finalized plans can be submitted to the government’s Transportation Improvement Program, which should fund construction of the mile.

Although, it could be 2016 before the program funds the bike path, Kelleher said if another applicant falls through, the approval could come in sooner.

“We’ll be standing there waving our hands,” he said.

In the meantime, any funding the Committee receives will go to small projects along the new portion of the path, such as a boardwalk across the marsh.

For Kelleher, who first began working on the project in 1998, the lengthy process of getting the second mile completed is worth it.

“It will bring people to beautiful beach and river crossings,” he said. “It’s going to be pretty spectacular.”