Come Friday getting to Logan Airport could be a whole lot easier when the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) opens the Logan Express park-n-ride facility on Route 1 south.
One volcano is still standing, while one volcano and the bubble building that once housed a miniature golf business at 164 Newbury St. are gone and in their wake is parking, currently for 200 cars.
The new lot is expected to eliminate 200,000 car trips a year to and from Logan International Airport, reducing traffic and improving convenience for North Shore residents.
Massport purchased the site last April and considers it a prime location because of its proximity to the Route 1/Route 95 interchange.
The September opening is early for the Express.
According to Massport's Barbara Platt, the new lot was not slated to open until around Thanksgiving when fall travel began to peak.
"But due to the parking demands at Logan already, we decided to open early, if only partially," she explained.
Friday the park-n-go lot will open with 200 parking spaces and a temporary ticket office and waiting area.
The permanent ticketing office and waiting area will open late October or early November with more parking spots, and by next summer the site will accommodate 700 parking spaces.
"This new Logan Express facility on the North Shore will help us provide first-rate customer service while reducing the number of cars that pass through local streets," said Massport Executive Director and CEO Virginia Buckingham.
"We are setting the standard for environmentally friendly access to air travel."
It has secure 24-hour parking. Every Monday through Friday the express will leave Peabody every half-hour from 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
On Saturday "early bird" trips begin at 4:30 a.m., 5:30 a.m., then 6 a.m. to noon every hour on the hour and from noon to 11 p.m. every half-hour.
Tickets cost $8 for a one-way trip and $14 for a roundtrip. Parking is $7 per day and $42 per week.
The rate for senior citizens is $7 one way and $12 roundtrip, children under the age of 12, accompanied by an adult travel free of charge.
"I feel the addition of the new Logan Express site in Peabody will make life easier for the residents of the North Shore," said Sen. Frederick Berry (D-Peabody). "The new park-n-ride facility will provide a convenient, assessable and reliable way to get to and from Logan Airport.
"Berry first conceived of the idea of a Logan Express on the North Shore is experiencing seven years ago. Because the North Shore is experiencing the highest growth rate in relation to people using Logan Airport, Berry believed having a park-and-ride would help ease frustrations of people trying to get to Logan.
Platt said workers have been busy paving and striping the lot and an official ribbon-cutting will take place once the permanent ticket building and waiting area are in place.