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Golden, Pingree Announce Over $7 Million for Lincolnville and Islesboro Ferry Upgrades

November 29, 2023


WASHINGTON –  U.S. Representatives Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree announced the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) will receive over $7 million in funding from the Federal Transit Administration to modernize and improve ferry service between Lincolnville and Islesboro.

“Ensuring that Maine’s island communities are well connected to the mainland is essential,” said Representatives Golden and Pingree. “These funds will help modernize and improve the ferry service that acts as a vital link between Islesboro and the surrounding mainland area.”

The two ferry terminals, which link the mainland town of Lincolnville and the island community of Islesboro, were originally built in 1959. The service is essential for the roughly 600 people who call Isleboro home year-round and for the thousands of annual seasonal residents and visitors who depend on the ferry service. 

The upgrades – which include expanding the ferry’s docking space for more efficient loading and unloading, and installing charging infrastructure that will enable the vessel to use electric power on its daily runs – will make the terminals ready to accommodate a new hybrid electric ferry which is scheduled for delivery in 2027. The new hybrid ferry will reduce pollution in Penobscot Bay, improve the reliability of safe transportation for residents and visitors, and will ultimately cost the state less in maintenance than would a new diesel vessel.

The grant money is part of an award to the MaineDOT of more than $33 million from the Federal Transit Administration’s new Ferry Programs established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Golden and Pingree both championed.

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