Officials at the New Hampshire Department of Transportation are calling the opening of the Exit 2 bus terminal off of Interstate 93 – tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17 – a significant milestone.

“It’s one of the first couple of projects that we’ve actually completed and we hope to open up. This was a part of the plan from the beginning to provide these park-and-rides and expand the bus service through the corridor in advance of mainline construction,” said Peter Stamnas, project director. “This has been part of the plan to get people out of their single-occupancy cars and use the commuter vans and the bus service.”

According to Stamnas, the state DOT will turn the Exit 2 park-and-ride facility and bus terminal over to Boston Express Bus after a final round of inspections to be completed Thursday, Nov. 6. The private firm contracted with the department will also take over terminals at exits 4 and 5 in Londonderry.

Officials are estimating that within the first year, the total ridership of the expanded service will be about 371,000 passenger trips, increasing to around 522,000 by 2011. The state DOT has created about 1,200 new parking spots between the Exit 5 and Exit 2 terminals and Stamnas said the department expects “brisk” use of both facilities.

“All indications are that they’re going to be well used. Time will tell how well used they will become,” he said. “This will provide more alternatives (to single-occupancy cars).”

Funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program, the public-private bus terminals are part of the department’s plan to cut down on the I-93 congestion between Salem and Manchester by reducing the number of drivers, while also rebuilding and expanding the roadway.

Stamnas said the new bus service will have a positive impact on roadway congestion as the I-93 rebuilding project picks up steam – creating the potential for more traffic.

“It’s not going to hurt,” he said. “It’s going to take tires off the road and that’s what we’re trying to do in any way possible. It is to provide those alternatives to remove as many people off the roads as possible.”

While Exit 3 in nearby Windham has an already existing park-and-ride facility, Stamnas said plans were on the table to construct a new facility closer to the interchange a few years down the line. Construction on the Exit 3 interchange would have to be finished before any serious work could be done on building a new park-and-ride facility, likely to begin sometime around 2012.

The new bus service will include six daily trips to South Station and Logan Airport in Boston from Manchester with stops at Exit 5 and 2. The Exit 4 terminal will be open during weekdays only.

Hard copies of the updated Boston Express schedule can be found at the Exit 4 park-and-ride and at the downtown Manchester Bus Terminal. Officials expect an online copy to be posted in the near future.