JAY – Have you ever wondered where Crash Road got its name?

An article from the Kennebec Journal on Dec. 19, 1963, discusses the “crash program” which led to the naming of Crash Road in Jay. Article can be found at Maine’s Paper and Heritage Museum in Livermore Falls. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

It might make you think that the naming of the road was inspired by multiple crashes, deeming the road dangerous. However, though the road is winding and there have been multiple crashes taking place on the road, the name is misleading.

The name of the road actually stems from a “crash” program that was created in order to get heavy machinery to the Androscoggin Mill for its construction in the 1960s. Before it was Crash Road, it was called North Livermore-Jay Road.

It began with Alvin Record and Hugh J. Chisholm. Both had built and owned four pulp and paper mills between the two of them. Chisholm became president of the Otis Falls Pulp and Paper Company and after a couple of fires and other issues, Record sold his mills to Chisholm in 1897. This was when the mills were consolidated into the International Paper Company.

Then in the early 1960s, the International Paper Company was looking at two locations to expand a paper mill with modern technology, one being on the Androscoggin River in Jay and another being somewhere out of state. They picked Jay and quickly ran into the problem of transportation. There were no roads for the company to transport heavy machinery to the new mill location, namely a Yankee dryer, a large cylinder responsible for removing moisture from the paper after it has been formed.

The State Highway Commission was quick to choose the former North Livermore-Jay Road to make a general access road. They launched a “crash” program, a rapid plan of action to meet a closing deadline. They closed all other construction in nearby areas to focus on expanding the 4.26 mile road to fit the large equipment being transported.

The front page of the State Highway Commission plans to expand Crash Road, formerly known as North Livermore-Jay Road in Livermore and Jay in 1964. Screenshot/Franklin Journal

The road was built as fast as possible, becoming known as Crash Road, named after the “crash” program created in efforts to expand the road. The Androscoggin Mill was finished in 1965 and ceased operation in March of 2023.

Though the road is not named for causing car crashes, it is still a windy road with limited lighting so you should still use caution.