| Taconic State Parkway |
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The Taconic State Parkway is a part of the New York State highway system. For most of its route, the "Teaspoon" (TSP), as it is sometimes humorously referred to by " Roadgeek s", is four lanes. All of the parkway in Westchester north of the Sprain Brook Parkway is now a six lane limited-access freeway. At its southern terminus, it reaches a traffic circle with the expressway section of the Bronx River Parkway and a connection to New York State Route 22 . As with many parkways in the Hudson Valley and Long Island, the character of this highway is largely scenic and winding. It was originally intended for Sunday drivers headed from New York City to Bear Mountain for a picnic as opposed to commuters. The road is designated New York State Reference Route 987G, an unsigned Reference Route . Freeway exit numbers are no longer signed, though boulevard intersections are. Today, the Taconic stretches from the Bronx River Parkway in Kensico in the Town of North Castle , Westchester County northwards to Chatham in Columbia County. The Taconic then ends at the toll plaza preceding the New York State Thruway Berkshire Section ( Interstate 90 exit B2). Unpaved alignments can be seen where the parkway was, at one time, planned to continue north. Various reports claim to either of US 20 or NY 22 which would have avoided the current "toll trap". Like many New York Parkway s, the Taconic is restricted to passenger vehicles only; commercial vehicles are prohibited. Given the state's vehicle-licensing rules, this prohibition became a problem as truck sales increased. In January 2000, the rules where changed such that Pickup Truck s licensed in New York could obtain passenger plates and be driven on the Taconic. Parkway Access For Pick-Up Trucks ROUTE DESCRIPTION Westchester County Starting from its southern terminus, Kensico Circle, at the end of the Bronx River Parkway , and located near the base of the Kensico Dam , the Taconic gets off to a start much as it was originally built early in the 20th century. The narrow 4 lane roadway with nothing but a box beam median barrier feels confined and tight, yet the feeling of a country drive is there thanks to the clever use of terrain and vegetation to hide the surrounding urbanized environment. For the first few miles the parkway is very much a surface arterial, complete with traffic lights at nearly every intersection, following the path of the Bronx River. Just after Stevens Avenue, things begin to change. After passing over a steeply ramped bridge over the Metro-North 's Harlem Line , one might notice the remains of a small paved circle in the median, the remains of what was once was a turn-around at the end of the parkway. Just past the turn-around, the roadway heads north and takes on the feel of a highway entrance ramp. This tends to prepare one for the dramatic change about to occur, as soon the Taconic widens to a 3 south-4 north lane Freeway at the merge with the Sprain . The two lane exit to the Saw Mill Parkway quickly takes away the 4th lane soon after as one passes through what was once the Hawthorne Traffic Circle . Southbound travelers might have a difficult time following the Taconic at this merge. Although there is the usual small parkway sign, the Taconic narrows to just two lanes just before the 2 lane NY 141/SMP entrance ramp. The much larger overhead sign has the exit labeled as "Bronx (River) Pkwy", and the parkway sign is all the way over along the other side of the ramp. After Hawthorne Circle, the parkway is very much a freeway and one might get the feeling they are traveling on just another Interstate , until reaching Croton Lake where an intimidating bridge entrance seems to appear from nowhere. After crossing Croton Lake one might start to notice uncommon details of the road and its structures, all designed to blend into the landscape. Just south of the Baldwin Rd. exit, there is a plaque on the East side of the roadway set in stone paying tribute to William D. Baldwin, who donated 25 acres of land to help with the building of the Taconic Parkway back in 1928. Mr. Baldwin was the Westchester Parks Commmissioner at the time and his family owned a 550 acres estate in French Hills at the time. After US 6 , the parkway starts its climb into the start of the Hudson Highlands , preparing one for what is about to come. Putnam County Upon entering Putnam county, the climb into the Hudson Highlands has begun and the character of the parkway as FDR envisioned starts to become evident. The twisty roadway, narrow and confined with only a box beam median is much like the Westchester boulevard, but lacking the traffic lights. Tighter curves are noticeable as it passes through the rugged terrain. The former overlooks are long gone, but glimpses of the views to appear later still exist. After a steep climb, it levels off a bit before plunging down into Peekskill Hollow and crossing Peekskill Hollow road. Then the parkway makes another steep ascent up toward Fahnestock State Park following the path of Roaring Brook as it makes a dramatic sweeping 180 degree turn, quickly followed by a 90 degree turn the opposite direction. It passes between two large lakes as it enters Fahnestock and reaches its highest point. The parkway continues its journey, skirting across the top of the Highlands toward the Dutchess County line. Dutchess County As the Taconic enters Dutchess County , it steeply descends the western side of Hosner Mountain and moves into the rolling hills of the Hudson Highlands. Major cross routes within the county include Interstate 84 , New York State Route 55 , and U.S. Route 44 . At-grade Crossing s were eliminated for most of the Taconic's run though Dutchess County, due to a number of accidents by drivers attempting to cross the parkway at rush hour. So far, one overpass has been built, and an exit has been added in each direction(north-bound at Noxon Road in the Town of Lagrange) to complement the closures. Columbia County The parkway terrain in Columbia is similar to that in Dutchess, with some additional features. First, the larger green mile markers disappear at the county line (the highest one is Mile 72.6). There are also many more at-grade crossings, which lack exit and entry ramps. Unlike Interstate 87 to the west, there are no commercialized rest stops, however, there are several scenic overlooks that provide a view for miles on a clear day. It is not uncommon to see deer, wild turkey, groundhogs, or other wildlife along the grassy sides of the parkway. Towards the end of the parkway, one can see the Albany city lights in the distance at the Ghent overlook. The parkway terminates at a three-lane tollbooth to the Berkshire Extension of the New York State Thruway, which enters at exit B2. HISTORY Conception The Taconic was built over a number of years in four sections by two different agencies. The first was the Westchester County Parks Commission (WCPC) who built an extension of its very successful Bronx River Parkway project. Proposed by Robert Moses it was intended to provide a quick scenic route from the Bronx to the Bear Mountain Bridge , at that time, a rare bridge over the Hudson River . The parkway design was largely the work of landscape architect Gilmore Clarke . The second was a project by the Taconic State Park Commission (TSPC). The TSPC was formed in 1925 to oversee two tasks, develop the proposed Taconic State Park , and a parkway to the park. Franklin Delano Roosevelt who first chaired the TSPC quickly focused on the parkway presenting a proposal for the path of the parkway at the commissions third meeting: ''"approximately mid-way between Albany Post Road and the Harlem River Valley and coming out on the west side of Shenandoah Valley, passing thence east of East Fishkill, east of Hopewell, east of Arthursburg, east of Billings, east of Moores Mill, east of Washington Hollow, east of Stanfordville, west of Bangall to the south end of Stissing Mountain, thence over the top of Stissing Mountain through Silvermalls and past Charlotte Lake, thence approximately in a straight line to Philmont and past Chatham, with the idea that at some point north of Chatham would be divide and one fork would lead northeast to Williamstown and the Mohawk Trail and the other fork northwest passing east of Troy, to the Saratoga Battlefield."'' Historic American Engineering Record - Taconic State Parkway, Poughkeepsie vicinity, Dutchess County, NY Since Roosevelt's statement, Lake Charlotte has been renamed Lake Taghkanic and became the centerpiece of Lake Taghkanic State Park . This was the plan adopted by the TSPC and approved by the State Parks Council, although Roosevelt is reported to have said later the parkway would extend north to the Canadian border. The Preservationist (NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation) Spring 2005 While the WCPC project got off to a quick start and finished just two years later, despite delays due to soil conditions north of Mohansic Park (since renamed Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park ). The TSPC project had a much slower start. At the time, Moses was chair of the State Parks Council, which controlled TSPC funding, most of which went to the Long Island Parks Commission, which Moses chaired. Funding to acquire land or even hire TSPC staff was minimal, an issue Roosevelt frequently complained about. Although some progress was made acquiring land for a right-of-way through much of Putnam and into Dutchess, primarily through land donations, two of the largest being the Fahnestock and Lake Charlotte donations. It was not until the 1930-31 budget that significant funds became available. Assisted greatly by Roosevelt who by then was governor of New York, and was so fond of the project that he continued to influence it for years after leaving the TSPC. Construction
As traffic volume increased, two median service stations were built, the Shenandoah station near Hosner Mountain Road and Todd Hill near Todd Hill Road in 1942 . Both sold gas and could do minor repairs, quite modest, unlike the full-service Briarcliff Wells station with a garage, restaurant and bar.
After the parkway was completed, an opening ceremony planned for November 25 , 1963 was cancelled due to the assasination of then-U.S. president John F. Kennedy and never rescheduled. Improvements and reconstruction Even as construction was nearing completion of the final section in Columbia County, increasing traffic volume on the Westchester section was straining the roadway there. While built to modern standards of the time, a narrow undivided roadway with an abundance of grade crossings proved a less than ideal design as traffic volume increased. With the need to improve the safety of the aging roadway, growing pressure to turn the route into a major commuter route and a new parkway, the Sprain Brook , being planned to connect to the Taconic. The TSPC started investigating its options to modernize the parkway, including grade separating crossings, additional traffic lanes between Hawthorne and Yorktown and removing the Hawthorne Circle which had become a known problem as early as 1941. In 1954 the cost of such improvements was estimated at more than $25 million. Much more than the thinly spread TSPC could afford.
Funding was eventually helped in 1960 with the creation of the East Hudson Parkway Authority (EHPA). The EHPA assumed control of the parkway the next year. Unlike the TSPC's recreational vision, the EHPA concentrated on larger scale projects to increase the capacity of the southern end of the parkway.
While reconstruction in Westchester county was welcomed, plans to enlarge the parkway in Putnam where not as well received. The parkway through Putnam, with its steep terrain and sharp corners, was especially hazardous. And development had increased the at grade crossing problems, notably at Bryant Pond Road. To help improve the parkway safety, in 1967 a median box beam barrier was installed between Bullet Hole Road (north of Bryant Pond Road) and Pudding Street. The plan favored by the EHPA would have had a new southbound alignment going through the Wiccopee Valley and Bryant Pond areas of Putnam Valley. Creating alignments as much as 1.5 miles apart. Not only would this have cut through Fahnestock State Park , it would have isolated a large portion of Putnam Valley and left the Tompkins Corners hamlet marooned in the median. Ultimately, the potential effects on Fahnestock doomed the plan and smaller improvements having less impact on the original character of the parkway where done. Such as replacing the, not very effective, timber guide rails with steel box beam guide rails.
During , 2003 and July 17 , 2006 To this day work continues to remove the remaining at grade crossings that still exist, some like Byant Pond Road and Miller Hill Road Taconic State Parkway/Miller Hill Road Interchange (NYSDOT) have been replaced with a bridge and interchange. Others have been closed off to cross traffic. Taconic Task Force Report, Part 1 Taconic Task Force Report, Part 2 The next grade crossing likely to be replaced with an interchange is Pudding Street. Traffic Safety Board Calls for Upgrade of Pudding Street... The Putnam County News and Recorder February 25 , 2004 An earlier dream of extending the parkway to the Canadian border died with the Interstate System . Designed for all traffic, the Thruway diverted funding from the extension project; the eventual construction of the Adirondack Northway ultimately removed the need. Notable dates
EXIT LIST Exits and interchanges along the parkway are numbered; however, most are no longer posted. Numbering is not necessarily sequential; many exits have been removed, and perhaps some have been added. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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