T5 R20, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Maine's Golden Road has become legendary. Built in 1970, it stretches from Millinocket almost due west to a border crossing at St. Zacharie, Quebec. It was meant to transport wood to the Great Northern Paper Company in Millinocket.
Now the mill is gone and the role of the road is changing.
A surprisingly large volume of wood still moves on the road, but in both directions. The road now has six different owners who share the rights of way and cost of maintenance.
Recreationists flock to the region and are allowed to use the road free. At least for now.
The increasing cost of maintenance is causing owners to look at how they can defer some or all of the cost of maintaining the road.
NEWS CENTER drove the entire road to take a look at the changes surrounding the Golden Road. Here are some pictures of the trip:
The Golden Road is open to the public and is free. It's a wide, gravel road. You should make sure you have good tires and give logging trucks a wide berth — it's their road!