QUESTION: What ever happened to the Hawaii Superferry terminals and docks after the state spent so much money to accommodate the vessel and then the boat sailed away?

ANSWER: The state spent $40 million on construction at Pier 19 in Honolulu Harbor and improvements to docks and ramps at the harbors at Nawiliwili, Kauai, and Kahului to prepare infrastructure for the interisland Superferry. The $5 million Honolulu passenger terminal was built with federal grant money for intrastate transportation. It was completed in 2002 before the Superferry was planned.

Offices in the Honolulu terminal building are now occupied by “;a harbor tenant relocated for an interim period due to a construction project,”; said Tammy Mori, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation. She said the terminal has also “;been utilized for special maritime-related functions.”; Department officials did not respond to requests for more specific information.

Young Brothers is now using much of the Kahului Superferry pier and shoreside space as a cargo staging area for the interisland barge service, said Roy Catalani, Young Brothers vice president. When the state was reconfiguring the Maui harbor to prepare for the Superferry, “;We lost 25 percent of our operating space,”; Catalani said. “;We got some of that back.”;

The Superferry carried passengers and vehicles between Honolulu and Kahului for 11 months before it suspended operations on March 19 last year. The service was halted after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a 2007 law exempting it from environmental review violated the state Constitution by deliberately affecting “;the interests of a single business.”;