Taconic State Parkway

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Taconic State Parkway
Reference Route 987G
Length:	104.12 mi[1] (167.56 km)
South end:	Bronx Ri./NY 22 in N. Castle
Major junctions:	Sprain Brook Saw Mill near Hawthorne US 202 in Yorktown US 6 at Shrub Oak I-84 near East Fishkill US 44 near Millbrook
North end:	I-90/Thruway near Chatham
Counties:	Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia
New York State Reference Routes

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 "roadgeeks", 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 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 unsigned New York State Reference Route 987G. 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".

Contents 1 Route description 1.1 Westchester County 1.2 Putnam County 1.3 Dutchess County 1.4 Columbia County 2 Communities along the route 2.1 Westchester County 2.2 Putnam County 2.3 Dutchess County 2.4 Columbia County 3 Exit list 3.1 Note on exit numbers 4 History 4.1 Conception 4.2 Construction 4.3 Improvements and Reconstruction 4.4 Notable Dates 5 Miscellanea 6 References 7 External links 8 See also

[edit] Route description

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Dutchess County

As the Taconic enters Dutchess County it steeply decends the western side of Hosner Mountain and moves into the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley.

[edit] 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 3 lane tollbooth to the Berkshire Extension of the New York State Thruway, which enters at exit B2.

[edit] Communities along the route

[edit] Westchester County

• North Castle
• Valhalla
• Mount Pleasant
• Hawthorne
• Briarcliff Manor
• Millwood
• Yorktown
• Yorktown Heights

[edit] Putnam County

• Putnam Valley
• Carmel
• Kent

[edit] Dutchess County

• East Fishkill
• LaGrange
• Pleasant Valley
• Clinton
• Stanford
• Milan

[edit] Columbia County

• Gallatin
• Taghkanic
• Claverack
• Ghent
• Austerlitz
• Chatham

[edit] Exit list

At-grade intersections are indicated by a signal ahead sign, though they may not necessarily be signalized junctions. ().

County	Location	Mile	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Westchester	North Castle	Kensico Circle. Taconic feeds directly into/from Bronx River Parkway.
	Valhalla		1	South Kensico Avenue	Bronx River Extension
			2	Legion Dr
			3	Lakeview Avenue
	Mount Pleasant		5	Commerce Avenue
			6	Stevens Avenue
	Northbound Taconic merges with the limited-access Sprain Brook Parkway, which terminates at the merge. Southbound Taconic becomes an at-grade highway.
	Hawthorne	2.85		Sprain Brook Parkway south - to I-287 east and New England Thruway	Bypass around the northern Bronx River and southern Taconic. Same-direction connections only. Main roadway becomes the Sprain Brook.
				NY 141	To/from points south along Taconic only. Southbound on-ramp is shared with the Saw Mill River Parkway.
		3.30		Saw Mill River Parkway - to I-287 west	Exit 26 (Saw Mill). Same-direction connections only.
	Mount Pleasant	4.00		NY 117 - Sleepy Hollow, Pleasantville	Entrance/exit ramps only available on southbound side of Taconic.
		4.67		NY 9A/NY 100 (Saw Mill River Road)	Northbound Taconic to northbound Saw Mill River Road only.
		5.63	11	CR 401 (Pleasantville Road) - Pleasantville
	New Castle	8.98		NY 100/NY 133 - Briarcliff Manor, Millwood
		10		CR 1323 (Pines Bridge Road)	To/from points south along Taconic only.
	Yorktown	11.02		NY 134 - Ossining
		New Croton Reservoir Bridges
		13.98		CR 131 (Underhill Avenue) - Croton-on-Hudson, Yorktown Heights	Formerly NY 131. to NY 129 - use CR 131 south. to NY 118 - use CR 131 north.
		14.98		Baldwin Road, Donald J. Trump State Park French Hill Section	Formerly NY 132A.
		16.32		Mohansic Avenue	Southbound entrance only; no exit from Taconic.
		Southern terminus of construction scheduled to end in 2006.
		16.5		Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park	Park and Ride - lot 1.
		17.14		US 202/NY 35 - Yorktown Heights
		17.5		Bear Mountain Parkway to US 202/NY 35	No access to northbound Taconic; use US 202/NY 35.
		19.66		NY 132 - Shrub Oak	Southbound: entrance only. Northbound: exit only.
		20.13		US 6, Donald J. Trump State Park Indian Hill Section - Mahopac, Shrub Oak	Southbound: to NY 132.
	Northern terminus of construction. Northern terminus of freeway section.
Putnam
	Putnam Valley	21.6		Taconic Gate	Southbound only.
		22.07		Dring Lane	Southbound only.
		23.3		Bryant Pond Road	Formerly an at grade crossing.
	Carmel	25.87		CR 21 (Peekskill Hollow Road)	Formerly an at grade crossing.
	Putnam	28.2		Pudding Street
		29		Stillwater Lake
	An older alignment is obvious on the east side of the current alignment. Re-alignment date is unknown.
	Kent	31.34		NY 301 - Carmel, Cold Spring	to Fahnestock State Park (east)
		31.9		Taconic State Park Police
		33.38	7	Hortontown Hill Road	Closed to cross traffic.
		34	8	Knapp Road
		33.99	County line.
Dutchess	East Fishkill
		35.15		Miller Hill Road	Recently upgraded from a simple intersection to a diamond interchange.
		37.21		I-84	Exit 16N-S (I-84).
		37.8		Hosner Mountain Road	Overpass is currently undergoing construction.
		38.68		NY 52 - Fishkill, Carmel
		40.3		CR 29 (Carpenter Road)	Median closed; north-to-east and south-to-west connections.
		40.9		Stormville Road	Median closed; north-to-east and south-to-west connections.
		41.6		CR 9 (Beekman Road) - Hopewell Junction, Sylvan Lake
		43.97		NY 82 - Hopewell Junction, LaGrange, East Fishkill
	LaGrange	44.6		CR 42 (Arthursburg Road)	Southbound only. Recently upgraded from an intersection.
		45.5		CR 21 (Noxon Road) - Noxon, LaGrangeville	Northbound exit only. To southbound Taconic - use CR 42.
		46.5		Todd Hill Road	South-to-east and north-to-west connections only.
		47.3		NY 55 - Pawling, Poughkeepsie	Mid-Hudson Bridge - use NY 55 west.
		48.48		James Baird State Park	Northbound: left-hand exit. Southbound: right-hand exit.
		49.65		Mountain Road	Median open only to cross parkway. No turns allowed.
		50.54		McDonnell Road	Median closed August 29, 2002; no northbound access.
	Pleasant Valley	52.02		Rossway Road	Crossable median.
		52.82		Tyrrel Road	Crossable median.
		53.72		Forest Ridge Road	Private community road.
		54.95		US 44 - Poughkeepsie, Millbrook	to NY 82.
	Clinton	57.6		Hibernia Road	Median closed July 24, 2002.
		57.91		CR 14 (Hollow Road)	Northbound intersection only. Median closed July 24, 2002.
		58.35		NY 115/CR 17 (Salt Point Turnpike)	Hyde Park
		61.4		Willow Lane	Median closed August 15, 2002.
		61.85		Pumpkin Lane	Median for emergency vehicles only.
	Stanford	62.99		Nine Partners Road	Median closed August 15, 2002.
		64.76		CR 19 (Bulls Head Road)
	Milan	65.92		Willow Brook Road	Median made for emergency vehicles only August 22, 2002.
		66.5		Cold Spring Road	Median closed August 15, 2002.
		67.75		NY 199 - Pine Plains, Red Hook; Milan Recreation Park
		69.35		North Road	Crossable median.
		70.38		Wilbur Flats Road	Crossable median.
		70.98		Ferris Lane	Crossable median.
		72.6	County Line
Columbia	Gallatin
		72.61		Columbia CR 2/Dutchess CR 50 (Jackson Corners Road)	Interchange partly straddles the county line.
				Near Road	Crossable median.
			Overlook
				CR 8
	Taghkanic			Lake Taghkanic State Park	Southbound: no exit, make U-turn at CR 8.
		79.72		NY 82 - Ancram, Hudson	Rip Van Winkle Bridge - use NY 82 west.
				CR 10
				Post Hill Road
	Claverack			Snydertown Road
				Manor Rock Road
				Bauer Road
				Palmer Road
		87.77		NY 23 - Claverack, Hillsdale
	Ghent	91.34		NY 217 - Harlemville, Philmont
			Overlook
				Harlemville Road
	Austerlitz			Rigor Hill Road
		99.25		NY 203 - Austerlitz, Chatham
	Chatham	101.88		NY 295 - Chatham, East Chatham	Northbound: last exit before toll. Southbound: access via Hartigan Road.
				Rock City Road	Northbound entrance only.
				Upper Cady Road	Southbound exit only. Commercial traffic must exit.
		Toll booth. Southbound: pay toll. Northbound: get ticket for the New York State Thruway.
		104.12		I-90/Thruway east	Northbound exit only.
Exit B2 (I-90/Thruway). Northbound traffic defaults onto I-90 west.

[edit] Note on exit numbers

They are rarely ever signed anymore. A few signs in Putnam still exist. They are all prefixed with the first letter of the county. While they appear to have been assigned sequentially, please do not assume that one just follows the other without referring to a map from the time when they were assigned; many exits have been removed, and perhaps some have been added.

[edit] History

[edit] 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."^[2]

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.^[3]

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.

[edit] Construction

• 1929 - 1932: Construction began on the Bronx River Parkway extension in 1929 by the Westchester County Park Commission and was completed two years later with the parkway opening to traffic Sunday, November 14, 1931.^[4] The 42' wide undivided roadway featuring stone arch bridges and a 750' triple hinged steel truss arch bridge over the Croton Lake, at the time, the longest bridge of its type in the world. This original section included a 4 mile branch north to the Westchester County line intended to meet the state's planned Eastern State Parkway.

• 1932 - 1938: Starting on April 28, 1931, the TSPC began construction extending the northern branch of the extension in Westchester northward into Putnam County through the Hudson Highlands and into Dutchess county. Reaching Peekskill Hollow Road in 1933, Fahnestock/NY 301 in July 1935, NY 52 in September 1936 and finally NY 55 in December 1938. This section featured three overlooks, one near Bullet Hole Road (former crossing north of Bryant Pond Road) and two on Hosner Mountain. Also a service station on the west side, south of NY 301(now a NYSDOT maintenance shed). As the parkway neared NY 52, the increased safety of medians became known and was incorporated into the design.

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.

• 1938 - 1955: The next section extending the parkway through the remainder of Dutchess county and into southern Columbia county was constructed. Construction deferred due to WWII, funding being redirected to the then new Interstate system and controversy over the planned route near Lake Taghkanic, meant that NY 199 was not reached until September 1949. NY 82 was reached in October 1954 and NY 23 in December 1958. During the construction of this section another large land donation allowed for the creation of James Baird State Park. This section included a median service station in Clinton Corners and the only east facing overlook at the border of Clinton and Stanford. Roadway design during construction of this section saw the introduction of mountable curbs. Contracts also allowed for paving with asphalt, but concrete bids where lower until after reaching NY 82.

• 1955 - 1963: Construction on the final section began in 1955 reaching NY 203 in 1961 and was completed in November of 1963 with the parkways northern terminus at the Berkshire Connector of the New York State Thruway. This is the only section originally paved with asphalt. A median service station was built at Lake Taghkonic and overlooks near CR 8 and between NY 217 and NY 203.

[edit] 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.

• In 1954, the hazardous at grade crossing of Underhill Road in Yorktown was grade separated with a stone faced concrete arch bridge designed by Gilmore Clarke, faithful to the parkways original character.

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.

• Between 1965 and 1971, an additional 3 lane alignment was added between Campfire Road in Millwood and Crompound (US 202/NY 35) Road in Yorktown. The original alignment was then reconfigured for 3 lanes in a single direction. This project was completed when the final section between Kitchawan (NY 134) and Baldwin Roads was finished in 1971. Along with the additional alignment, a new 1,362' steel truss bridge was built over the Croton Reservoir to carry southbound traffic. In addition, the Hawthorne traffic circle at the Saw Mill River Parkway was replaced with a 3 level interchange that only provides parallel connections (north-north, south-south).

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, noteably at Bryant Pond Road. To help improve the parkway safety, in 1967 a median box beam barrier was installed between BulletHole 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.

• In 1980, the Sprain Brook Parkway was completed, providing a higher-speed, signal-free means of reaching the state-maintained freeway portion of the Bronx River Parkway. Until the completion, it was possible to travel south on the Sprain to the NY 100/Bradhurst Ave exit.

• The early 1990s saw the completion of the parkway between NY 100/NY 133 in Millwood and the Saw Mill River Parkway in Hawthorne being widened to 6 lanes with a median, in the process removing one of the original stone construction gas stations (examples of which can still be seen futher north) and the infamous "Pleasantville hump" (the bridge over Pleasantville Road had steep ramps on both sides). During this project, the at grade crossings of Washburn Road, Chappaqua Road and Campfire Road where removed. The eastern part of Washburn Road became a cul-de-sac, the western part was extended south to Pleasantville Road. A bridge was built over Chappaqua Road. And the eastern part of Campfire Road was extended north to what had been the northbound NY 100/NY 133 exit, while the short western part between the parkway and NY 100 was abandoned (Today it is a parking area for, and what remains is now under the, North County Trailway. The NY 100/NY 133 exit was then reconfigured to exit onto what is now Campfire Road.

• In 2000, reconstruction began to widen the parkway between US 202/NY 35 and US 6 from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.^[5] At the time this project was expected to be completed in 2001. In 2003, the original contractor was replaced and the project is, in 2006, nearing completion.^[6]

• In 2001, the grade crossings at Bogardus Lane, Carpenter Road, Arthursburg Road, Todd Hill Road and Stormville Road were closed to cross traffic as part of a comprehensive safety improvement project. Recommendations of which included closing the Hibernia Road, Hollow Road, Willow Lane, Pumpkin Lane, Nine Partners Road, Willowbrook Road and the Cold Spring Road crossings.^[7]

During 2007, work should be completed on "Ramp X". Located just south of "ramp W", this ramp connecting southbound NY 9A/NY 100 to the southbound parkway in Mount Pleasant was originally part of the earlier widening project, but was posponed to reduce costs.^[8]

To this day work continues to remove the remaining at grade crossings that still exist, some like Byant Pond Road and Miller Hill Road^[9] have been replaced with a bridge and interchange. Others have been closed off to cross traffic.^[10][11] The next grade crossing likely to be replaced with an interchange is Pudding Street.^[12]

[edit] Notable Dates

• 1924: New York State authorizes the Westchester County Parks Commission to begin planning and construction of the Bronx River Parkway Extension.
• 1925: New York State voters authorize a $15 million bond act to fund state parks.
• 1941: the Westchester County Parks Commission transfers jurisdiction of its Bronx River extension to the Taconic State Park Commission. The north-south section of the Bronx River Parkway extension was then merged with the Eastern State Parkway and named The Taconic State Parkway. The east-west section of the extension going to the Bear Mountain Bridge became the Bear Mountain State Parkway.

• 1961: The East Hudson Parkway Authority took over jurisdiction of the parkway under contract to the Taconic State Park Commission. The next year jurisdiction was officially transferred.

• November 1, 1979: Jurisdiction of the Taconic was transferred to the New York State Department of Transportation as the EHPA was dissolved.

• 1992: The Taconic State Parkway was designated as a New York State Scenic Byway.^[13]

• December 8, 2005: The Taconic was added to the National Register of Historic Places.^[14]

[edit] Miscellanea

• Like many New York parkways, 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 trucks licensed in New York could obtain passenger plates and be driven on the Taconic.^[15]
• When first opened, the parkway in Putnam County included bridle paths in the median. Concern over maintenance costs led to their closure in 1940.
• The original terminus was supposed to be at the west end of the NY 22/67 multiplex in Buskirk, rather than the Berkshire Spur of the New York State Thruway in East Chatham.
• After the parkway was completed, an opening ceremony planned for November 25, 1963 was cancelled due to the death of John F. Kennedy and never rescheduled.
• The 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.
• The Appalachian Trail crosses the parkway in Putnam County at Miller Hill Road.
• The dramatic crash at the end of the chase scene of the 1973 film The Seven-Ups was shot at the northbound NY 100/NY 133 exit. Other parts leading up to the crash were filmed on parts of the parkway south of the exit before that section was widened. Other parts on the Saw Mill River Parkway.

[edit] References

1. ^ Empire State Roads - Reference Routes, Region 8
2. ^ Historic American Engineering Record - Taconic State Parkway, Poughkeepsie vicinity, Dutchess County, NY
3. ^ The Preservationist (NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation) Spring 2005
4. ^ The Taconic: Gateway To A New Yorktown by Martin Wilbur, North County News, June 22-28, 1988
5. ^ NYS governors office press release July 12, 2000
6. ^ Reed Construction Data January 17, 2005
7. ^ Taconic State Parkway phase two recommendations (NYSDOT)
8. ^ The Journal News December 31, 2003 and July 17, 2006
9. ^ Taconic State Parkway/Miller Hill Road Interchange (NYSDOT)
10. ^ Taconic Task Force Report, Part 1
11. ^ Taconic Task Force Report, Part 2
12. ^ Traffic Safety Board Calls for Upgrade of Pudding Street... The Putnam County News and Recorder February 25, 2004
13. ^ New York Scenic Byways
14. ^ National Register of Historic Places Listings, Dec 12, 2005 (National Park Service)
15. ^ Parkway Access For Pick-Up Trucks

[edit] External links

• Historic American Engineering Record - Taconic State Parkway, Poughkeepsie vicinity, Dutchess County, NY
• Historic American Buildings Survey - Briarcliff Wells Service Station, Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, NY
• nycroads.com - Taconic State Parkway
• gribblenation.net - Taconic State Parkway

[edit] See also

Parkway

v • d • e Westchester County Parkways
North-South Parkways:	Bronx River, Hutchinson River, Sprain Brook, Taconic State, Briarcliff-Peekskill, Saw Mill River, Central Westchester
East-West Parkways:	Bear Mt. State, Playland, Cross County