AUGUSTA (AP) – A possible state purchase of the Golden Road, which cuts through the heart of Maine’s North Woods, is stirring interest.

Speakers for and against a state purchase agree that the 100-mile road through the North Woods is valuable to commercial and recreational interests.

Rep. Raymond Pineau, D-Jay, who proposed the creation of a commission to study the issue, said securing the road under state ownership is worth considering. But others worry that state ownership might leave the road in disrepair because of tight budgets.

The road was built by the Great Northern Paper Co. in the early 1970s, according to Patrick Strauch, executive director of the Maine Forest Products Council. Pineau, a retired paperworker, said he believes the parts of the road date to 1965.

The road is now owned by four companies. Pineau, who uses the road to reach his camp on Moosehead Lake, believes there could be additional owners in the future.

“Something has to be done with the Golden Road,” agreed Dick Rogers, a Registered Maine Guide who owns a camp near the road.

The 650,000 acres adjacent to the west branch of the Penobscot River recently conserved are largely accessed by the Golden Road, Rogers said. If the road were blocked to public use, that land also would be inaccessible, he said.

Rogers, who addressed a public hearing held Tuesday by the Transportation Committee, doesn’t think the road has to be purchased. He said the state might negotiate an easement that would guarantee public access.

The Golden Road, only 34 miles of which is paved, is designed for off-road vehicles carrying as much as 250,000 pounds of wood.

Strauch agreed that an outright purchase might not be the best route. He’s concerned about the cost of upgrading, and maintaining, the road.

The Golden Road, only 34 miles of which is paved, is designed for off-road vehicles carrying as much as 250,000 pounds of wood.

If acquired by the state, upgrades including the widening of bridges would be required to bring it up to state standards, Strauch said.

Besides, he said, the consensus among those businesses that own and mange the road is that “the road is not for sale.”