Portland, Maine (AP) The Federal Transit Administration is giving a ferry line in Maine $6 million to replace an aging boat.

The administration is providing the money to Casco Bay Lines in Portland. The boat that will be replaced is aging to the point where it’s no longer useful.

Elected officials in the state say the money will help keep a key piece of the state transportation grid intact. Republican Sen. Susan Collins says the ferry is especially important to working people who live on bridgeless islands.

Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree says Casco Bay Lines runs two ferries that are expected to reach the end of their usefulness within the next five years. The service will soon make a decision about which one to replace with the $6 million.