"We think there will be a balance of cars coming and going, but we'll work with the communities to make sure extra traffic doesn't become a problem," Garibaldi said.

Among the possibilities are scheduling ferry arrivals in off-peak hours and developing new traffic plans around pier areas, he said.

At public hearings on the ferry start-up last month, Neighbor Island residents voiced concerns that the planned daily ferry service to and from O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island could dump hundreds of cars and other urban problems on their more rural islands.

"We're very aware of their concerns," Garibaldi said. "We're estimating that an average load will be 107 cars each trip, but you'll probably have 107 going the other way, too."

The company is very close, possibly a matter of days, to wrapping up the $200 million in financing commitments it needs to build and operate two 340-foot, roll-on, roll-off catamarans that will provide the service, Garibaldi said. The financing includes a mix of federal loan guarantees and private investment.

The project has been in the planning stages for at least three years, and the company turned a corner earlier this year when it brought a similar ferry to Hawai'i for a week of public events, Garibaldi said.

"That really helped turn all the doubters to supporters," Garibaldi told members of the Rotary Club of Honolulu in Waikiki yesterday. "After that, people could really see the possibilities."

Although the ferries will carry some visitors and freight, the company's target market is local travelers, he said.

"Surveys show that resident travel between islands has decreased 22 percent in the last three years," Garibaldi said. "With our low fares, we're anticipating turning that around. Studies show if you drop fares 40 percent, you can double the demand."

If approved by the Public Utilities Commission, Hawai'i Superferry round-trip passenger fares are expected to cost between $42 and $65. Transporting a passenger car would cost another $55 to $65. The company hopes to begin service in late 2006 or early 2007, Garibaldi said.

"I really like the idea that it will be able to connect families across the state," said Anton Krucky, a Rotary Club member who heard Garibaldi's presentation yesterday. "And I think it can be a really good economic boost for the state, too."

The PUC, which regulates public transportation companies in the state and has to approve rates and tariffs, is expected to make a decision on the Hawai'i Superferry tariff filings sometime next year.