A look at the Taconic State Parkway
If you’ve been pulled over for speeding through towns like Clinton, East Fishkill, Milan, Pleasant Valley, or Stanford, there’s a very high chance that you were on the Taconic State Parkway at the time. What was once imagined as a road for vacationers has become an important source of revenue in those towns, thanks to the hardworking state troopers who patrol it.
Stretching nearly 105 miles from near the Kensico Dam in Westchester County to its northern terminus in Columbia County’s town of Chatham, the Taconic State Parkway is the longest road of that type in New York. Named for the Taconic Mountains at the northern end of its length, the Taconic was conceived in 1925 as part of a wider plan to give downstate motorists the opportunity to enjoy a day in the country by visiting one of several state parks. Franklin Delano Roosevelt pushed for its construction, but the road wasn’t completed until the 1960s. The result was once described by novelist William Kennedy as a “110-mile postcard.” Now listed on the national historic registry, this parkway feels like an interstate at one end, but more like a country road at the other. In the portions of this road that are in Dutchess and Columbia counties, it’s become a common road on which passing motorists are pulled over for speeding.
A parkway is technically just a limited-access road that one can take to get to a park. The Taconic State Parkway fits that description, but it’s a peculiar road that actually has intersections with local roads farther north, instead of overpasses and exits. These unusual design features prevented local traffic from being blocked by this road’s construction, and were also intended to help the Taconic be in harmony with the local environment. Most of these can no longer be used to cross the parkway, but it’s still possible to make a right turn onto or off of the Taconic State Parkway in many locations.
The Taconic was designed to be a scenic route, reflecting the desire of Franklin Roosevelt to provide a lovely ride for motorists that was replete with scenic overlooks (mostly now closed), such as of the Hudson Highlands. That is why the road is full of meandering turns, around any of which a state trooper may be waiting to see who is exceeding the 55-mph speed limit throughout this area. The farther north one drives, the more likely one is to see some of the original concrete road bed or native stone overpasses.
The same design features that were intended to offer a leisurely day in the country are why that limit is lower than on the Thruway, for example, and today’s drivers often don’t have the patience to take it slow. That may be especially true in Dutchess County, where the roadway is wider and feels safer to drive along at higher speeds. This is why I spend as much time as I do in town courts of East Fishkill, LaGrange, Clinton, Stanford, and especially Milan. This can be a very pretty drive for someone who isn’t trying to get to work or another destination on time, but the Taconic is now used more for commuting than sightseeing. When traveling this unique road, remember that it was designed in a different time, and to allow time for delays. Remember that going merely 66 miles per hour on that road can get you a ticket that carries 4 points and a significant fine. If for any reason you do get a traffic ticket or speeding ticket on the Taconic Parkway, then it’s time to call Selby Legal.