View source for Taconic State Parkway

{{Short description|North–south highway in New York}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox road
|state=NY
|type=Parkway
|route=Taconic
|maint=[[New York State Department of Transportation|NYSDOT]]
|length_mi=104.12
|length_ref=<ref name="2007tdr" />
|map={{maplink-road}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=Taconic State Parkway highlighted in red
|established=1925
|restrictions=No trucks, buses, trailers, or vehicles over 8 feet tall; no drivers with [[learner's permits]] south of exit 23<ref>{{cite web |url = https://dmv.ny.gov/learner-permit-restrictions |title = Learner Permit Restrictions |author = [[New York State Department of Motor Vehicles]] |date = June 28, 2017 |publisher = New York State Department of Motor Vehicles |access-date = March 10, 2018 }}</ref>
|direction_a=South
|terminus_a={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Bronx River}} in [[North Castle, New York|North Castle]]
|junction={{plainlist|
*{{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Sprain Brook}} in [[Hawthorne, New York|Hawthorne]]
*{{jct|state=NY|NY|141|Parkway|Saw Mill}} in Hawthorne
*{{jct|state=NY|NY|9A|NY|100}} in [[Mount Pleasant, New York|Mount Pleasant]]
*{{jct|state=NY|US|202|NY|35|Parkway|Bear Mountain}} in [[Crompond, New York|Crompond]]
*{{jct|state=NY|US|6}} in [[Shrub Oak, New York|Shrub Oak]]
*{{jct|state=NY|I|84}} in [[East Fishkill, New York|East Fishkill]]
*{{jct|state=NY|NY|55}} in [[LaGrange, New York|LaGrange]]
*{{jct|state=NY|US|44}} in [[Pleasant Valley, New York|Pleasant Valley]]
*{{jct|state=NY|NY|199}} in [[Milan, New York|Milan]]
*{{jct|state=NY|NY|23}} in [[Claverack, New York|Claverack]]
}}
|direction_b=North
|terminus_b={{jct|state=NY|I-Toll|90|NYBC}} in [[Chatham (town), New York|Chatham]]
|counties=[[Westchester County, New York|Westchester]], [[Putnam County, New York|Putnam]], [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess]], [[Columbia County, New York|Columbia]]
|embedded = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed     = yes
| name      = Taconic State Parkway
| nrhp_type = hd
| nocat     = yes
| architect = Westchester County Park Commission; et al.
| added     = December 8, 2005<ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite web |url = https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317091 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Taconic State Parkway |publisher = National Archives and Records Administration |first= Kathleen |last = LaFrank |date = December 8, 2005 |access-date = October 27, 2025 }} ({{NationalArchivesNote}})</ref>
| area      = {{convert|7067|acre}}
| refnum    = 05001398<ref name="nris">{{NRISref |refnum=05001398|version=2010a|dateform=mdy}}</ref>
}}
}}
The '''Taconic State Parkway''' (often called the '''Taconic''' or the '''TSP''') is a {{convert|104.12|mi|2|adj=on}} [[limited-access road|limited-access]] [[Parkways in New York State|parkway]] between [[Kensico Dam]] and [[Chatham (town), New York|Chatham]], the longest in the U.S. state of [[New York (state)|New York]]. It follows a generally north–south route midway between the [[Hudson River]] and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines, much of its upper section along the westernmost flank of the [[Taconic Mountains]]. It is open only to passenger vehicles, as with other parkways in New York, and maintained by the state [[New York State Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]] (NYSDOT), the fourth agency to have that responsibility.

[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who had long envisioned a scenic road through the eastern [[Hudson Valley]], was instrumental in making it a reality as a way to provide access to existing and planned [[List of New York state parks|state parks]] in the region. Its winding, hilly route was designed by landscape architect [[Gilmore David Clarke|Gilmore Clarke]] to offer scenic vistas of the [[Hudson Highlands]], [[Catskill Mountains|Catskills]] and [[Taconic Mountains|Taconic]] regions. The bridges and now-closed service areas were designed to be aesthetically pleasing. It has been praised for the beauty of not only the surrounding landscape and views it offers, but the way the road itself integrates with and presents them.

It was completed in its present form in the early 1960s. In 2005, the entire highway, including its supporting structures, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in recognition of its historic importance in the development of parkways in the 20th century, and Roosevelt's role in creating it. It is the second-longest continuous road listed on the Register after Virginia's [[Skyline Drive]], and the longest limited-access highway.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Records |url = https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3BCVR_opposing-views-2?guid=c6b3cb23-42d3-4a8d-8df5-31334f0398b8 |access-date = February 2, 2018 |work = Geocaching.com }}</ref><ref group=lower-alpha>The next longest is the [[Baltimore–Washington Parkway]] at {{convert|32|mi|km|0}}.</ref>

The parkway continues to provide access to several state parks, including [[Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park]]. It has also become an important regional artery, one of the primary routes to northern [[New England]] and the [[Capital Region (New York)|Capital Region of New York]] from the [[Hudson Valley]], [[New York City]] and [[Long Island]]. The southern sections, particularly in Westchester County, have become a [[commuter]] route into the city for residents who moved into towns that became suburbanized as a result of the parkway. The state and regional transportation planners have worked to adapt to this change since the 1940s.

==Route description==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2020}}
The Taconic's character changes with its surroundings. In the busy suburbs of its first few miles, it is a narrow at-grade roadway, paralleling a commuter rail line through a small downtown. Soon after that, it becomes a wide divided highway, with median strips and gentle turn radii similar to an [[Interstate Highway]] carrying much commuter traffic.

In the [[Hudson Highlands]], it narrows again as it curves back and forth and climbs up and down quickly to its highest point. When the terrain levels out again, it widens and begins to assume its scenic character in a growing, [[exurb]]an area with at-grade intersections. Its northernmost section, located on the ridges between the [[Hudson Valley]] and the [[Taconic Mountains]] along the state borders to the east, offers mountain and hilltop vistas as the road itself continues to curve gently through bucolic surroundings. This winding route contributes to its {{convert|104.12|mi|km|adj=on}} length, which makes the Taconic New York State's longest parkway.<ref name="NRHP nom">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 89|ps=.}}</ref>

===Westchester County===
[[File:Taconic State Parkway at Cleveland Street, Valhalla, NY.jpg|right|thumb|The Taconic at the Cleveland Street intersection in [[Valhalla, New York|Valhalla]]|alt=A four-lane road divided by a metal guardrail with trees on the right side and traffic signals, currently red, in the upper right-hand corner]]

The Taconic begins at Kensico Circle, just south of [[Kensico Dam]], in the town of [[North Castle, New York|North Castle]], also the northern terminus of the [[Bronx River Parkway]]. The roadway here is a narrow, four-lane [[limited-access road|expressway]]. It curves northwest to a traffic light at Cleveland Street in the [[hamlet (New York)|hamlet]] of [[Valhalla, New York|Valhalla]]. The [[Valhalla (Metro-North station)|Valhalla station]] on [[Metro-North Railroad]]'s [[Harlem Line]] is on the west side, with the downtown area on the east. It is the only densely developed community the road goes through rather than near.

After crossing under the stone arch bridge carrying Legion Drive over the parkway, the first of many such rustic overpasses, the Taconic begins a long section going past [[Gate of Heaven Cemetery]] and paralleling the railroad tracks past the small [[Mount Pleasant (Metro-North station)|Mount Pleasant Metro-North]] train station, built to allow access to the surrounding cemetery of that name. The road then crosses over the train line into a wooded area where the two roadways split wide apart, merging with the [[Sprain Brook Parkway]].

[[File:Amvets Bridge from northbound Taconic State Parkway, Yorktown, NY.jpg|left|thumb|The northbound AMVETS Memorial Bridge, which crosses over the [[New Croton Reservoir|Croton Reservoir]], a collecting basin for the [[New York City Water System]]|alt=A red steel bridge arch is seen from a car going under the metalwork along the bridge deck]]

At the merge, the Taconic becomes a wider, six-lane [[controlled-access highway|freeway]]. For the remainder of Westchester County, the Taconic has been rebuilt, widened, and modernized to meet the needs of commuter growth, bearing little resemblance to its original design.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} A thousand feet ({{convert|1000|ft|m|disp=output only}}) to the north, after a small interchange with [[New York State Route 141|NY 141]], a three-level [[stack interchange]] allows access to the [[Saw Mill River Parkway]] northbound (and southbound from the southbound lanes). North of the interchange power lines and Saw Mill River Road ([[New York State Route&nbsp;9A]] or NY&nbsp;9A and [[New York State Route 100|NY&nbsp;100]]) on the west parallel the parkway past undeveloped Graham Hills County Park. The next exit, at Bedford Road ([[New York State Route 117|NY&nbsp;117]]), serves [[Pleasantville, New York|Pleasantville]] to the east. Just north of it, a short fork allows traffic to divert to NY&nbsp;9A and 100, which split away toward [[Ossining (town), New York|Ossining]].

The Taconic continues north through a minimally developed area of low hills, past another exit serving Pleasantville, and then across another town line into [[New Castle, New York|New Castle]]. Route&nbsp;100 returns to parallel the highway on the west again, then joins [[New York State Route 133|NY&nbsp;133]] at the next exit, serving [[Ossining (village), New York|Ossining]] and [[Millwood, New York|Millwood]]. About a half mile ({{convert|0.5|mi|km|disp=output only}}) north of that exit, northbound traffic can also exit, and southbound traffic enters, at Pines Bridge Road.
[[File:Taconic State Parkway north of Bear Mountain Parkway exit, Yorktown, NY.jpg|right|thumb|Looking north along the Taconic at the Bear Mountain Parkway exit in [[Crompond, New York|Crompond]]|alt=A divided highway in the middle of a late autumn wooded landscape curving up and down through a small valley with hills in the distance]]
The roadways grow far apart over the next mile before coming together again at the [[New York State Route 134|NY&nbsp;134]] exit, as [[Turkey Mountain (New York)|Turkey Mountain]], one of the Manhattan Hills, looms ahead.<ref name="LaFrank4">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 4}}. "From the highest point in Putnam County, where it achieves an elevation of nearly {{convert|1,200|ft|m|disp=sqbr}} ...."</ref> The Taconic then enters [[Yorktown, New York|Yorktown]], the last town along the Taconic in Westchester County, and split again until they are {{convert|1500|ft|m}} apart, with neighborhoods and houses between them, to the two bridges over [[New Croton Reservoir]], part of the [[New York City water supply system]]. Once on the other side, in the town of Yorktown, they converge again to their previous width. The next exit, at Underhill Avenue, provides access to downtown Yorktown and the reservoir.

Past the Baldwin Road exit a half mile ({{convert|0.5|mi|km|disp=output only}}) north of Underhill, the Taconic curves westward along the south side of [[Mohansic Lake]]. When the road returns to a northerly course, an exit allows entrance to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park]]. It is followed by the Crompond Road ([[U.S. Route 202 in New York|U.S. Route&nbsp;202]] or US&nbsp;202 and [[New York State Route 35|NY&nbsp;35]]) exit, which serves [[Peekskill, New York|Peekskill]] to the west as well as Yorktown. Just beyond it, the [[Bear Mountain State Parkway]], a legacy of the Taconic's original planned route and purpose, leaves to the west as the road drops into a wide valley carved by a [[tributary]] of the Hudson,{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} the first place where the road begins to respond to the increasing relief of the landscape.

The Taconic then passes through undeveloped woods, part of another local park, and under a footbridge carrying a hiking trail. Curving northeast, the exits for [[New York State Route 132|NY&nbsp;132]] and [[U.S. Route 6 in New York|US&nbsp;6]] (recently improved), with residences on either side of the parkway, herald [[Shrub Oak, New York|Shrub Oak]] and [[Jefferson Valley, New York|Jefferson Valley]]. A short distance past that exit, the parkway crosses into [[Putnam County, New York|Putnam County]].

===Putnam County===
[[File:Taconic State Parkway4.jpg|right|thumb|Looking north along the Taconic just north of the Peekskill Hollow Road exit in [[Putnam Valley]]|alt=A divided highway going past a rock outcrop in autumn]]
The road reverts to a four-lane expressway narrows shortly after the county line in the town of [[Putnam Valley, New York|Putnam Valley]], with the shoulders replaced by soft curbs, in preparation for the rugged terrain of the next {{convert|12|mi|0}}. From this point north, the original design of the Taconic is still intact for the most part, aside from safety improvements like the removal of all at-grade intersections. Curves become sharper, with the widest having a [[radius]] of {{convert|11459|ft|m}}.<ref name="LaFrank5">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 5|ps=.}}</ref> It remains generally level for the first {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}}, past the Bryant Pond Road exit serving [[Mahopac, New York|Mahopac]]. The land around the road is heavily wooded and less developed than in Westchester.

{{convert|1|mi|km|spell=In}} to the north, the road begins to descend {{convert|350|ft|m}} in {{convert|1.1|mi|km}} alongside a steep ridge, narrowing to less than {{convert|100|ft|m}}, with a high stone [[retaining wall]] along the east side, to Peekskill Hollow Creek and the exit for the similarly named road, briefly entering the town of [[Carmel (town), New York|Carmel]] in the process.<ref name="Bullet Hole drop">{{cite map |author = [[United States Geological Survey]] |map = Oscawana Lake quadrangle |map-url = http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=41.39932&lon=-73.79401&datum=nad83&zoom=2&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=m |date = n.d. |scale = 1:24,000 |type = Topographic map |title = Topoquest |access-date = January 3, 2010 }}</ref> It starts to climb again just past the exit, and {{convert|1/2|mi|km}} to the north it goes into an S-curved section with both segments having extremely narrow radii. The Taconic moves to the east in the process then resumes its roughly northward heading up the Roaring Creek valley into [[Clarence Fahnestock State Park]]. For the next {{convert|5.5|mi|1}} it will cross this {{convert|14000|acre|ha|adj=on}} protected area of the eastern [[Hudson Highlands]], with no development visible from the highway.

The roadways begin to separate as the parkway's ascent continues through heavily wooded terrain past rocky cliffs and outcrops between two lakes. Next to a now-closed overlook on the eastern side, with the two roadways {{convert|500|ft|m}} apart in the densely wooded country, signs on both roadways mark the Taconic's highest elevation, almost {{convert|1200|ft|m}} above sea level.<ref name="LaFrank4" />

A short distance beyond that, a stone bridge marks the [[New York State Route 301|NY&nbsp;301]] exit that serves as the main access to the state park and the bathing area and hiking trails at nearby [[Canopus Lake]]. The parkway begins to descend again, entering its last Putnam County town, [[Kent, New York|Kent]]. It bends east again, and within {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} it crosses into [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]].

===Dutchess County===
[[File:Taconic State Parkway view at Miller Hill Road exit, East Fishkill, NY.jpg|right|thumb|Looking north along the Taconic at the Miller Hill Road exit in [[East Fishkill]]|alt=A divided highway curving across the bottom of the picture, passing a hill on the right in the foreground on its way to a more level landscape at left center]]

Continuing its easterly slant, the Taconic starts leveling out in Dutchess County, the largest county segment of any of the four counties along the road,<ref name="LaFrank3">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 3|ps=.}}</ref> entering the town of [[East Fishkill, New York|East Fishkill]]. Just south of the Miller Hill Road exit, the first in the county, the road widens, with grassy slopes on its east side. At this point the hills farther north are visible in the distance, and the valley to the west, between Hosner and Shenandoah mountains, opens up occasional scenic vistas to the west.

A grade crossing with a flashing overhead warning beacon was replaced in 2000 by a grade-separated exit, making the [[Appalachian Trail]]'s crossing here less hazardous.<ref name="Miller Hill Road FHWA page">{{cite web |title = Excellence in Highway Design – 2002 Taconic State Parkway Interchange with Miller Hill Road, Town of East Fishkill, New York |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/eihd/2002/cat2pic1.htm |publisher = [[Federal Highway Administration]] |date = April 28, 2003 |access-date = January 17, 2010 }}</ref> The Taconic levels off into a narrow section bearing due northeast along Hosner Mountain's steep west slope, with stone walls on either side. This ends after a mile with the [[Interstate 84 in New York|Interstate&nbsp;84]] (I-84) interchange.

North of the Interstate Highway, the parkway bends to the northwest and starts to assume the character it retains through most of Dutchess County, with a wider, intermittently cleared median and gentler turns (their radii reaching almost {{convert|23000|ft|m}}, more than twice that of the widest curve in Putnam County<ref name="LaFrank6">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 6|ps=.}}</ref>), taking it through the now lower hills. There are still no shoulders. A closed rest area sits in the median between I-84 and the [[New York State Route 52|NY&nbsp;52]] exit {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} farther north.

The road then bends back toward the northeast, narrowing again through some wooded stretches over the next few miles to the Beekman Road ([[County Route 9 (Dutchess County, New York)|County Route&nbsp;9]] or CR&nbsp;9) exit. This area, rural and agricultural when the highway was built, has become more developed in the last decades, with residential [[land subdivision|subdivisions]] and golf courses replacing the silos and haystacks as landmarks off the road.
[[File:Taconic State Parkway 2.jpg|thumb|left|Looking north along the Taconic at the NY 82 exit in [[Arthursburg, New York|Arthursburg]]|alt=Looking downslope along a divided highway in winter with mountains in the distance]]
A long curve back to the northwest again takes the Taconic to the first of its two interchanges with [[New York State Route 82|NY&nbsp;82]], at Arthursburg. Almost a mile to its north, the Arthursburg Road at-grade crossing was closed, and a southbound off-ramp and on-ramp were built. The road bends back north into the town of [[LaGrange, New York|LaGrange]] to the next exit a half-mile ({{convert|0.5|mi|m|disp=output only}}) beyond, at Noxon Road ([[County Route 21 (Dutchess County, New York)|CR&nbsp;21]]), a new exit accessible only to northbound traffic via an off-ramp.

The road widens through a wooded area and then narrows past another service area just before Todd Hill Road. The road drops to cross a creek, then rises again to the [[New York State Route 55|NY&nbsp;55]] exit, one of two roads serving the city of [[Poughkeepsie (city), New York|Poughkeepsie]] to the west, near [[Freedom Plains, New York|Freedom Plains]]. Its slow undulation with the landscape continues past the now closed Skidmore Road grade crossing as it heads due north into the town of [[Pleasant Valley, New York|Pleasant Valley]] and the less developed half of Dutchess County.

The roadways separate widely ({{convert|750|ft|m|disp=or}}) again for a mile in the woods east of [[James Baird State Park]]. An entry road forks to the left from the northbound lanes and crosses the southbound lanes via an underpass with on/off ramp. The two roadways descend and come together again by the Mountain Road grade crossing.

It climbs a hill after the McDonnell Road crossing, then descends to the Rossway Road crossing. A quarter-mile ({{convert|0.25|mi|m|disp=output only}}) to the north, a dead-end road leaves the northbound lanes for the nearby Taconic–Hereford Multiple Use Area. Several other local roads cross the parkway until it reaches one of its straightest stretches, which then curves to the first grade-separated exit in several miles, [[U.S. Route 44 in New York|US&nbsp;44]], the other main route to Poughkeepsie, between [[Millbrook, New York|Millbrook]] and Pleasant Valley.

The road passes through a much more wooded area as it makes a long curve into its next junction, the grade intersection at Hibernia Road. A bridge over [[Wappinger Creek]] {{convert|0.1|mi|m}} to the north separates that grade crossing from the one with Hollow Road ([[County Route 14 (Dutchess County, New York)|CR&nbsp;14]]) and takes the road into the town of [[Clinton, Dutchess County, New York|Clinton]]. Another half-mile ({{convert|0.5|mi|m|disp=output only}}) north, at the next exit, [[New York State Route 115|NY&nbsp;115]] has its eastern terminus while [[New York State Route 115#History|Salt Point Turnpike]] continues.

A slight western slant continues as the parkway traverses a landscape now thoroughly rural, with fields and [[woodlot]]s alternating. Two more grade crossings, at Willow and Pumpkin lanes, follow through a long curve to the east and back. At Nine Partners Road, the Taconic is back on a northward heading as it slips east of the [[Stanford, New York|Stanford]] town line.

It begins to climb onto the high ground between the Hudson and the [[Taconic Mountains]] to the east. To the west there are occasional glimpses across the river valley to the [[Catskill Escarpment]] to the west. From here the parkway bends eastward again, entering the town of [[Milan, New York|Milan]] and climbs slowly through generally wooded area, passing another grade crossing at Cold Spring Road. The next exit, at [[New York State Route 199|NY&nbsp;199]], is the last in Dutchess County. After another long bend east, the Taconic goes north again and crosses into [[Columbia County, New York|Columbia County]] just past Roeliff Jansen Kill Multiple Use Area and the Jackson Corners Road ([[County Route 2 (Columbia County, New York)|CR&nbsp;2]]) exit.

===Columbia County===
[[File:Taconic State Parkway from NY 217 in Ghent, NY.jpg|right|thumb|Birds-eye view of the Taconic at the NY&nbsp;217 exit in [[Philmont, New York|Philmont]]|alt=A divided highway with gentle curved roadways receding into a countryside of rolling hills]]
The parkway terrain in Columbia is similar to that in northern Dutchess, with more views opening up in the north as the road levels out. The surrounding farms and woods get more extensive. After entering the county, the Taconic continues due north through the town of [[Gallatin, New York|Gallatin]] through unbroken woods. It bends slightly to the intersection with [[County Route 8 (Columbia County, New York)|CR&nbsp;8]] to pass the beach at [[Lake Taghkanic State Park]], with the access road for the park leaving to the east at grade from the northbound lanes where the highway enters the town of [[Taghkanic, New York|Taghkanic]]. Another half-mile ({{convert|0.5|mi|m|disp=output only}}) to the north is the second interchange with NY&nbsp;82.

North of that exit, the parkway bends to the northeast again, paralleling the orientation of the county as a whole. It crosses briefly into the town of [[Claverack, New York|Claverack]], then back into Taghkanic before reentering Claverack as it heads due east briefly, then north again into the [[New York State Route 23|NY&nbsp;23]] exit near the hamlet of Martindale. It bends from the northerly heading back to the northeast to cross into [[Philmont, New York|Philmont]] over the next {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}}, where [[New York State Route 217|NY&nbsp;217]] comes to its eastern terminus at the exit with the Taconic.

Past a rise beyond that exit, there are [[scenic overlook]] parking areas on both sides of the highway with panoramic views west to the Catskills. The road curves into the town of [[Ghent, New York|Ghent]], with two more at-grade intersections, one of which being Rigor Hill Road, which features a gas station right on the side of the parkway.

The Taconic continues to the north from here for {{convert|5|mi|km||spell=in}} more, crossing into the town of [[Chatham (town), New York|Chatham]], with an exit for [[New York State Route 203|NY&nbsp;203]] shortly after. The parkway continues north through Chatham, where signs warn drivers that the [[New York State Route 295|NY&nbsp;295]] exit is the last before the Thruway tolls at the end of the road. The last exit for Rock City Road is open only to southbound traffic, allowing commercial vehicles that have ventured onto the parkway to exit. A [[electronic toll collection|toll gantry]] for exit&nbsp;B2 on the Berkshire Section of the [[New York State Thruway]] ([[Interstate 90 in New York|I-90]]), marks the administrative end of the Taconic State Parkway, {{convert|104|mi|0}} from Kensico Circle.

==Scenery==
{{multiple image
|header=Parkway scenery
|header_align=center
|align=right
|direction=vertical
|width=220
|image1=Taconic State Parkway NB near LaGrangeville, NY.jpg
|alt1=A paved roadway seen from its right with a solid yellow line on the left, dashed white line in the middle and solild white at right goes into an area at the center of the image where branches from the tall trees on either side hang over and shade it from the sunlight coming in from the left
|caption1=Trees overhanging the Taconic in [[LaGrange, New York|LaGrange]], Dutchess County
|image2=Stone bridge on Taconic State Parkway near Shrub Oak, NY.jpg
|alt2=A stone bridge over a divided highway in an autumn landscape
|caption2=Stone overpass in [[Shrub Oak, New York|Shrub Oak]], Westchester County
}}
[[Landscape architecture|Landscape architects]] such as [[Gilmore Clarke]] worked closely with engineers and construction crews during the Taconic's construction, often on site. Some features of the road's design address practical considerations and increase safety. Curves that climbed or descended were [[Banked turn|banked]] to increase vehicle traction and permit better drainage. Likewise the curves in undulating terrain are located to reduce [[Blind spot (vehicle)|blind spots]] at crests and keep the sharpest turns out of valleys. These also make sure that views of distant landscapes open up on downgrades and on long curves, when they are less distracting.<ref name="NRHP nom 95–6">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 95–96|ps=.}}</ref>

Closer to the road, on the northern sections in Columbia and Dutchess counties, the road was routed to showcase a nearby view of wooded hillside or a farm. Since trucks were not permitted on the road—for some time, this even included privately owned pickup trucks used solely for personal use—in many sections tree branches overhang the roadways, creating a park-like canopy.  The curve of the northbound AMVETS Memorial Bridge over [[New Croton Reservoir|Croton Reservoir]] echoes the surrounding hills. On the medians and berms, plantings were carefully planned to maintain continuity with the surrounding woods. On the descent into [[Peekskill Hollow Creek|Peekskill Hollow]] in [[Putnam Valley, New York|Putnam Valley]], the trees and shrubs above the retaining wall on the east side were [[transplanting|transplanted]] from the path of the highway, which retained the appearance of the local forest and saved money.<ref name="LaFrank66">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 66|ps=.}}</ref> Overpasses, both carrying roads over the parkway and carrying it over roads, were faced in native stone.<ref name="NRHP nom 95–6" /> Grade intersections, usually a feature engineers tried to avoid, which initially helped keep local east–west routes open<ref name="LaFrank44">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p.44|ps=.}}</ref> and connect the parkway to the landscape it traversed,<ref name="LaFrank47">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p.47|ps=.}}</ref> have since either been closed or replaced by overpasses.

As a result, the Taconic has been the subject of much praise over the years not only for its vistas but for the way it harmonizes with the surrounding landscape. Sociologist [[Lewis Mumford]], who often criticized the effect of superhighway construction on contemporary cities, always advised friends traveling up from New York to visit him at [[Lewis Mumford House|his house]] in [[Amenia (town), New York|Amenia]] that they should take the Taconic.<ref name="Mumford bio cite">{{cite book |title = Lewis Mumford: A Life |last = Miller |first = Donald L. |year = 2002 |publisher = [[Grove Press]] |isbn = 0-8021-3934-5 |page = 480 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AtBfyg_Vj7gC&pg=PA480 |access-date = December 31, 2009 |via = [[Google Books]] |quote = ...and whenever he was in Leedsville Mumford would tell friends from New York City who were coming by car to visit him to take [the] Taconic State Parkway, a winding ribbon of road through the Hudson River Valley. }}</ref> He described it as "a consummate work of art, fit to stand on a par with our loftiest creations".<ref name="NYT 1987 story">{{cite news |last = Faber |first = Harold |title = Metropolitan Baedeker: Savoring the Scenic Delights Along the Taconic State Parkway |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/14/arts/metropolitan-baedeker-savoring-the-scenic-delights-along-the-taconic-parkway.html?pagewanted=1 |newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |date = August 14, 1987 |access-date = December 31, 2009 }}</ref> The engineers, he said, had avoided "brutal assaults against the landscape." Albany-born novelist [[William Kennedy (author)|William Kennedy]], whose family frequently drove the Taconic during his childhood to visit relatives farther south, called it "a {{convert|110|mi|km|adj=on|disp=sqbr}} postcard. It's the most beautiful road I've ever known—in all seasons." "You can drive it with confidence", said automotive writer [[David E. Davis]]. "There are no bad surprises about the way the road is engineered."<ref name="2002 NYT story">{{cite news |last = Healy |first = Mark |title = Driving: 'Just Drive,' Said the Road, And the Car Responded |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/05/travel/driving-just-drive-said-the-road-and-the-car-responded.html?pagewanted=all |newspaper = The New York Times |date = July 5, 2002 |access-date = December 31, 2009 }}</ref> Landscape architect [[Garret Eckbo]] called the Taconic "as lovely an integration of highway engineering and landscape architecture as one could hope to find". Commenting on this years later, architecture critic Matthew Gandy wrote:
{{blockquote|Clarke's design for the Taconic State Parkway, for example, provides a vivid example of a new kind of mediation among nature, technology and society, with what appears to be a delicate balance between the new infrastructural project and an imaginary natural order. Implicit within this aesthetic [[dialectic]] is the notion of engineering as an art form that can in some way embellish or even improve upon nature: there is no radical disjuncture here but a sense of aesthetic progression and purity of form.<ref name="Concrete and Clay">{{cite book |title = Concrete and Clay: Reworking Nature in New York City |last = Gandy |first = Matthew |year = 2003 |publisher = [[MIT Press]] |location = Cambridge, MA |isbn = 0-262-57216-8 |page = 122 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=R38TXjcG-xsC&q=%22taconic+State+Parkway%22 |access-date = December 31, 2009 }}</ref>}}

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with sections of the road modified from its original design and the rest areas mostly gone, writers for ''[[The New York Times]]'' have variously described the Taconic as "a pleasure to use, evoking those bygone days when people went for a drive just for the fun of it"<ref name="NYT 1987 story" /> and "unquestionably among the most scenic roadways in the Northeast, winding along the Hudson Valley with a painter's eye for landscape and a gearhead's idea of fun."<ref name="2002 NYT story" /> The [[Lonely Planet]] New York State guidebook calls it a "highway masterpiece".<ref name="Lonely Planet">{{cite book |title = New York State |edition = 3rd |last = Williams |first = China |author2 = Blond, Becca |year = 2004 |publisher = [[Lonely Planet]] |location = Footscray, Victoria, Australia |isbn = 1-74104-125-2 |page = 16 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LyNJyEcFSJwC&q=%22Taconic+State+Parkway%22%2Bmost%2Bbeautiful&pg=PA16 |access-date = December 28, 2009 |via = Google Books }}</ref>

==Engineering==

The parkway's engineering principles evolved over the four decades it took to build, with northern sections reflecting improvements in construction technology and lessons learned from the early days of construction. Some aspects of the original road remained consistent from end to end.<ref name="Con">{{cite web |url = http://www.nycroads.com/roads/taconic/ |title = Construction |publisher = nycroads.com |access-date = February 16, 2018 }}{{sps|date=February 2018}}</ref>

The Westchester County sections were laid out by the county's parks commission based on the parkways they had already designed. Its engineers later worked on the design of the upper sections. In its early days, the Taconic State Parks Commission (TSPC) lacked the money to hire a full engineering staff, in spite of terrain that presented some major challenges. Its engineer, E.J. Howe, on loan from the state's [[Department of Public Works]] (DPW), frequently complained about the commission's directive that he plan a route only where it had the land or expected to buy it, instead of planning a route and then buying the land. He also began negotiations with landowners, and his position was eliminated from the commission's budget after three years.<ref name="LaFrank58-59">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 58–59|ps=.}}</ref> His successor clashed with his superiors as well, and after he left in 1933 the commission relied on state DPW engineers for the rest of the construction.<ref name="LaFrank63">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 63|ps=.}}</ref>

Most of the original parkway was surfaced in [[reinforced concrete]]. Officials favored it despite its higher initial cost as compared to [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] since it was less likely to need repair over its 50-year lifespan and reflected more light at night, improving safety.<ref name="LaFrank8">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 8|ps=.}}</ref> Asphalt was used for repaving of segments to the south; today the original concrete remains only between the [[U.S. Route 44 in New York|US&nbsp;44]] and northern [[New York State Route 82|NY&nbsp;82]] exits.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

The changes in the design of the northern Taconic also reflect higher speeds that mid-century automobiles were capable of, and improvements in construction technology. The [[Tracked vehicle|track]]-equipped [[steam shovel]]s that broke ground for the first section in Putnam County in 1931 were the most advanced excavators of the time. Over the next decade, the cost of moving a [[cubic yard]] dropped to almost half of what it had been in the early 1920s.<ref name="LaFrank64–65">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp.64–65|ps=.}}</ref> Later in the parkway's development, engineers began using [[aerial photography|aerial photographs]] to plan the route.<ref name="LaFrank58">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 58|ps=.}}</ref>

The road's drainage system had some special features designed to avoid detracting from its scenic qualities. The roadway was crowned, with [[storm drain]] grates at the edge since there was no [[shoulder (road)|shoulder]], to keep water from forming deep puddles that could cause accidents (these have been eliminated from modernized sections of the parkway in Westchester). The soft hand-[[fluting (architecture)|fluted]] curbs also helped channel runoff to the basins, and in the median strips a central trench took water to underground pipes which drain into local streams.<ref name="LaFrank8" />

The median strips themselves were not part of the original design on the lower sections of the Taconic, save for sections like Fahnestock State Park where designers used them to enhance the scenic capabilities of the road and create recreational opportunities. As the road was extended north during the 1930s, it became clear that the wider medians improved safety without sacrificing beauty, and starting with the [[New York State Route 52|NY&nbsp;52]] exit in East Fishkill they were made a standard element of the parkway's design. Wider medians were also a lot easier to build in Dutchess and Columbia counties, as the land is much flatter than in Putnam County.<ref name="LaFrank72-75">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp.72–75|ps=.}}</ref> When the parkway was modernized and widened in Westchester County, wide medians were installed for most of the length between the [[Sprain Brook Parkway]] and the Putnam County line.

==History==

The Taconic came into being as a result of the increasing presence of the automobile in American society and the demand for more public parks near crowded cities. Two separate agencies, the Taconic State Park Commission (TSPC) and Westchester County Parks Commission (WCPC), were its initial constructors, building different segments. In time a state authority would take over from them both, and then 18 years later itself yield up to its current administrator, the state [[New York State Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]].<ref name="Con"/>

It would take nearly four decades to complete from the initial parkway proposal by TSPC chair Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1925 to the opening of the last segment in 1963, due in part to a lengthy hiatus resulting from [[World War II]]. Construction technology and highway design standards changed during the construction of the road, changes whose effect is still visible to drivers today. Since its completion it has been renovated, particularly in Dutchess and Westchester counties, reflecting the change in its role from park access route and scenic drive to important regional transportation artery.<ref name="Con"/>

===Background===

[[immigration to the United States|Immigration]] and [[industrialization]] caused a major increase in New York City's population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the summertime, many of these newer residents began looking for places to get away from the hot city and the densely populated [[tenement]]s they lived in. The city's own parks and beaches were often overcrowded. Automobiles became more affordable, and by 1917 there were more cars than horses in the city. Drivers began taking to low-quality roads in search of parks outside the city, but were often disappointed after long drives to find that most of those parks were closed to nonresidents.<ref name="Caro143-45">{{harvp|Caro|1974|ps=.|pages=143–145}}</ref>

In 1900, New York and New Jersey had jointly acquired the [[The Palisades (Hudson River)|Palisades]], the cliffs along the west side of the Hudson in both states, to protect them from further damage due to [[quarrying]]. Making it a park for city residents to visit on hot summer weekends had not been part of the plan, but it quickly became one. Many residents could not get to it because of insufficient ferry capacity. Its success as a park led to the establishment of the [[Palisades Interstate Park Commission]] and the construction of [[Palisades Interstate Parkway]] to allow nonstop drives through scenic and wooded areas through Palisades Park up to the [[Bear Mountain Bridge]].<ref name="Caro143-45" /><ref name="LaFrank19–21">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 19–21|ps=.}}</ref>

During his successful campaign for the [[New York State Senate|State Senate]] in 1910, Roosevelt had toured the district in a car, still not common in the area, the first candidate to do so. He became more interested in the possibilities of automobile touring ten years later when, [[paralysis]] resulting from [[poliomyelitis|polio]] having cost the effective use of his legs, Roosevelt began frequently taking his friends on such trips around the region. During them, he began pondering the idea of a north–south parkway through the eastern Hudson Valley.<ref name="LaFrank41">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 41|ps=.}}</ref>

In 1922, as part of its political reform efforts, the New York State Association (NYSA) published ''A State Park Plan For New York'', the first such comprehensive plan for any state's parks. New York's few parks at that time had been managed by a loose combination of public and private interests, and all the land had been donated to the state since the legislature would not [[appropriation (law)|appropriate]] money for any park outside a city.<ref name="Caro166-67">{{harvp|Caro|1974|pp=  166–67|ps=.}}</ref>

The plan's author, NYSA secretary [[Robert Moses]], combined the ideas of association researchers into a document that transformed park planning. It was primarily a statewide plan for acquiring and [[protected area|protecting]] other large tracts of natural resources not currently in public ownership through a $15 million (${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|15000000|1922}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}) [[bond (finance)|bond]] issue, an amount far in excess of any previously proposed. A subsequent revision proposed the coordination of state park management and development through various regional park commissions, centralized under a [[New York State Council of Parks|State Council of Parks]] (SCP), itself to be part of the [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|Conservation Department]]. For citizens, it advocated the construction of parkways to make these areas accessible to nearby cities via automobile and that areas be developed not only for [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]] but also for active outdoor recreation like golf, tennis and picnicking.<ref name="Caro166-67" /><ref name="LaFrank23">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 23}}. "In 1924, the bond issue passed by more than a million votes, one of the largest majorities on record."</ref>

Moses proposed to Governor [[Alfred E. Smith|Al Smith]], whom he served as an aide, that the bond issue be put to voters. After some reluctance, Smith agreed and sent the legislature a formal message to that effect but said he would not send the legislation itself until 1924. He feared opposition to the high cost, but was surprised when reaction was uniformly positive.<ref name="Caro167-68">{{harvp|Caro|1974|pp=  167–68|ps=.}}</ref> The legislation creating the administrative structure of the state parks was drafted by Moses, who had been assured by Smith that he would be appointed to the position of executive director for both the SCP and the Long Island State Parks Commission. Seemingly innocuous phrases in the legislation gave the SCP director considerable power. The legislature passed the [[bill (law)|bill]] unanimously in 1924.<ref name="Caro172-77">{{harvp|Caro|1974|p=  172–77|ps=.}}</ref> The bond issue passed overwhelmingly that fall.<ref name="LaFrank23" /><ref name="Caro187">{{harvp|Caro|1974|p=  187}}. "The referendum had passed by nearly a million votes."</ref>

===Taconic Parkway plan===

Roosevelt was appointed chair of the newly created TSPC. It was expected to focus on the creation of a tri-state park along with Connecticut and Massachusetts, to protect and develop the mountainous area around the [[tripoint]] where the three states meet (today [[Taconic State Park]]). Other than that it had no obvious goals. The 1922 plan had not identified any areas in Columbia or Dutchess counties to protect as parks, and the area's major scenic resources, the Catskills and Taconics, were largely outside its borders.<ref name="LaFrank45">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 45|ps=.}}</ref> At its third meeting, Roosevelt proposed the commission design and build a parkway along the following route:
{{blockquote|Approximately midway 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, Massachusetts|Williamstown]] and the Mohawk Trail and the other fork northwest passing east of Troy, to the [[Saratoga National Historical Park|Saratoga Battlefield]].<ref name="LaFrank49">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 49|ps=.}}</ref>}}
Moses had already proposed an alternate route at the first meeting of the commission, which Roosevelt missed. He would have the parkway avoid the rugged terrain of central Putnam County and instead follow the Hudson from the Bear Mountain Bridge up to [[Cold Spring, New York|Cold Spring]], where it would then go northeast to the Tri-State Park. That would allow it to pass through a scenic area along the river but created other issues for engineering and land acquisition. The two men lobbied their colleagues for their routes.<ref name="LaFrank50">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 50|ps=.}}</ref>

Roosevelt eventually won, pointing to a new state highway planned to run north from the bridge (today's [[U.S. Route 9W|US&nbsp;9W]]) and that a more direct route would better serve recreational traffic from the city. His was the plan initially adopted by the TSPC and approved by the SCP in July 1925, several months later. Moses relented, but reportedly said the parkway should extend only a few miles north of the city.<ref name="LaFrank50" /> Roosevelt is reported to have said later the parkway would extend north through the [[Adirondack Mountains|Adirondacks]] to the [[Canada–United States border|Canada–US border]]<ref>{{cite journal |url = http://nysparks.state.ny.us/publications/documents/preservationist/2005SpringPreservationist.pdf |journal = The Preservationist |volume = 9 |issue = 1 |date = Spring–Summer 2005 |author = New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |access-date = April 1, 2010 |title = Taconic State Park Region: A Presidential Pedigree |pages = 6–11 }}</ref> - a north–south freeway link of sorts that avoided the Adirondacks in starting slightly west of the TSP's northern terminus, yet still reached the international border was achieved by the end of August 1967 with the completion of the [[Interstate 87 (New York)#Adirondack Northway|Adirondack Northway]] (I-87).<ref>{{cite news |last = Phillips |first = McCandlish |title = Last Link to Open on the Northway |url = https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A12F6345E137A93CBAB1783D85F438685F9 |access-date = December 26, 2012 |newspaper = The New York Times |date = August 29, 1967 |page = 39 }}</ref>

===Bronx River Parkway Extension plan===
The WCPC had built {{convert|70|mi|0}} of parkways on its own<ref name="LaFrank46" /> by the time the bond issue passed, retaining the services of landscape architect [[Gilmore David Clarke|Gilmore Clarke]] for the latter. One of its most successful had been a joint project with New York City, the [[Bronx River Parkway]], which followed the south [[Bronx River]] north from [[Soundview, Bronx|Soundview]] in the [[Bronx]] {{convert|19|mi|0}} to public picnic grounds at [[Kensico Dam]].<ref name="LaFrank27-32">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 27–32|ps=.}}</ref>

The road had first been proposed in 1895. In 1924 the parkway opened and was instantly popular. Its design was widely emulated on parkways in New York and elsewhere.<ref name="LaFrank27-32" />

The WCPC had begun considering another idea of Moses's, that the Bronx River Parkway could be extended north to the new [[Bear Mountain Bridge]], at the time the only bridge over the Hudson River south of Poughkeepsie. Motorists could thus make a {{convert|125|mi|0|adj=on}} day trip from the city to the [[Hudson Highlands]] and back via the Palisades Parkway (which would soon connect directly into the city at the [[George Washington Bridge]]).<ref name="LaFrank35">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 35|ps=.}}</ref>

Two routes were considered for the extension. A western one took it past [[Briarcliff Manor, New York|Briarcliff Manor]]; an eastern alternative was closer to [[Pleasantville, New York|Pleasantville]] and [[Chappaqua, New York|Chappaqua]]. Clarke recommended the western one for its scenery and cheaper land. He also noted that while both crossed the [[Croton River]], the eastern one did so at the reservoir's narrowest point, reducing the costs of a bridge.<ref name="LaFrank37">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 37|ps=.}}</ref>

It was universally agreed by all the agencies involved—the SCP, TSPC and WCPC—that the Taconic Parkway should extend south of Roosevelt's route through [[Putnam County, New York|Putnam County]] and connect to the Bronx River Parkway extension at the former's southern terminus. The TSPC would build from the Putnam County line onwards.<ref name="LaFrank49 quote">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 49}}. "Everyone agreed that the Taconic State Parkway should be a continuation of the Bronx River Parkway Extension".</ref>

===Construction===
====1925–1928, route planning and land acquisition====
Throughout the late 1920s, both park commissions focused on land acquisition and planning. The WCPC was adequately funded with proceeds from the bond issue and other sources, and was able to accomplish both tasks with relative ease. That was not the case with the TSPC, for several reasons.<ref>{{cite web |last = S. |first = John |date = December 31, 2017 |url = https://www.johnlearn.com/p/taconic-state-parkway-is-divided-highway |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090136/https://www.johnlearn.com/p/taconic-state-parkway-is-divided-highway |url-status = usurped |archive-date = February 18, 2018 |title = A Divided Highway |work = John Learn |access-date = February 16, 2018 }}{{sps|certain=yes|date=February 2018}}</ref>

{{multiple image
|align=left
|direction=vertical
|width=150
|image1=Robert Moses head shot.jpg
|width1=150
|alt1=A man looking slightly downwards
|caption1=Robert Moses
|image2=FDR in 1933.jpg
|width2=150
|alt2=A white-haired man looking into the camera
|caption2=Franklin D. Roosevelt
|image3=Alfred Emanuel Smith.jpg
|width3=150
|alt3=A portrait of a man with thinning hair wearing a white bow tie
|caption3=Al Smith
}}
The greatest was the animosity between Moses and Roosevelt. The latter had hired his longtime associate [[Louis McHenry Howe|Louis Howe]] as the TSPC's secretary at a salary of $5,000 (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|5000|1924}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}). Moses, as SCP head, was responsible for preparing the council's budget and submitting it to the Conservation commissioner. He told Roosevelt that if he wanted "a secretary and a [[valet]]" he would have to pay for it personally.<ref name="Caro287-91">{{harvp|Caro|1974|pp= 287–91|ps=.}}</ref>

Roosevelt never forgave him for this remark, and Moses later said that this incident was the root of the antipathy between them that lasted into Roosevelt's later presidency. Moses, who also served as New York's [[New York Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] for two years during this period, used his influence with the legislature and control of the parks budgeting process to keep the TSPC's finances low enough that it could barely maintain existing facilities under its jurisdiction, much less acquire [[right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] or hire staff.<ref name="Caro287-91" />

Other regions and their plans, particularly Moses's domain on Long Island, were well funded. He, and his political patron Smith, felt that the TSPC should focus not on the parkway but the Tri-State Park, which Moses and Smith believed Roosevelt's commission had neglected, along with the donated property that has since become Fahnestock State Park. Moses also wanted to make sure that money was available for the parkways he was building on Long Island.<ref name="Caro287-91" /><ref name="LaFrank42-43">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp.42–43|ps=.}}</ref>

Roosevelt at one point wrote Smith an angry letter complaining that Moses had "skinned us alive" by allegedly lying to the governor and other officials about the TSPC.<ref name="LaFrank42-43" /> By early 1928 Roosevelt told the governor that he and the other TSPC commissioners had no choice but to resign if they were to continue to be so poorly served.<ref name="Caro287-91" /><ref name="LaFrank52">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 52|ps=.}}</ref> Later that year the lack of funds, along with resistance from local property owners, led the commission to abandon Roosevelt's original hope of routing the parkway over Stissing Mountain.<ref name="LaFrank56">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 56|ps=.}}</ref>

Smith dissuaded Roosevelt from doing so. The situation was resolved later that year, when Roosevelt was elected governor after Smith resigned to become the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for president in the [[1928 United States Presidential Election|1928 election]]. In that capacity Roosevelt could no longer serve on the TSPC but could make sure the parkway was built due to his final authority over the proposed state budget. He also rebuffed Smith's efforts to have him retain Moses as Secretary of State, although he could not remove him from the park posts.<ref name="Caro287-91" />

====1929–1931: completion of Bronx River Parkway extension====
In 1929 construction began on the WCPC section, with the connector to the Taconic getting underway the following year.<ref name="LaFrank38">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 38|ps=.}}</ref> In April 1931 [[steam shovel]]s finally [[groundbreaking|broke ground]] at Shrub Oak for the section built by the TSPC in Putnam County. Roosevelt and Moses both spoke at the ceremony, the former suggesting he still planned for the parkway to one day reach Canada.<ref name="LaFrank65">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 65|ps=.}}</ref> Eight months later the two rivals were at the north portal of the triple-hinged steel [[suspension bridge]] built over the reservoir, at {{convert|750|ft|m}} the longest of that type in the world at the time,<ref name="LaFrank6" /> for the [[ribbon cutting ceremony]].  The next day, 20,000 cars took the new road from the city into the Manhattan Hills. Along the way were public picnic grounds in three areas, and {{convert|18|mi|0}} of [[bridle path]]s in the median strip.<ref name="LaFrank38"/><ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.yorktownhistory.org/ncn/events/taconic.htm |title = The Taconic: Gateway To A New Yorktown |first = Martin |last = Wilbur |newspaper = North County News |location = Yorktown Heights, NY |date = June 22–28, 1988 |access-date = April 1, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091027090915/http://www.yorktownhistory.org/ncn/events/taconic.htm |archive-date = October 27, 2009 }}</ref>

====1932–1935: Putnam County====
They could not yet continue into Putnam County. Ernest Fahnestock had donated the first {{convert|2241|acre|ha}} of the park named for his late brother. Further north, the TSPC had also acquired Lake Taghkanic and {{convert|172|acre|ha}} around it for development when the parkway eventually reached it. But land prices were rising in Putnam County as a result of the parkway,<ref name="LaFrank54">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 54|ps=.}}</ref> and the county's [[Board of Supervisors]] told the state's [[New York State Department of Public Works|Department of Public Works]] (BPW) that it would not support the parkway since they believed the county had enough roads as it was.<ref name="LaFrank56" /> As a result, the engineers were told to only survey property once it had been acquired, a policy that they found difficult to follow.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/content/engineering/Scenic-Byways/Byways-repository/Taconic%20State%20Parkway_051-100.pdf |title = Survey |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |access-date = February 15, 2018 }}</ref>

The stretch of road descending into Peekskill Hollow was very problematic. Roosevelt feared that route would take the parkway too far east. It offered a view into the valley as it descended, but to preserve existing rock outcrops it was necessary to route it so that it descended at an 8.5% [[grade (slope)|grade]] and make the roadway so narrow that there was only a foot (30.5&nbsp;cm) between the curb and the wall on either side.<ref name="LaFrank62">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 62|ps=.}}</ref>

The engineering challenges it posed resulted in that stretch costing ten times as much to build as the {{convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} to its south had. It was necessary to move {{convert|97000|cuyd|m3}} of earth and replant 196 trees and 456 shrubs from the right-of-way to the edges. They were joined by 450 more shrubs on the slope above the road, primarily [[rhododendron]] and [[Kalmia latifolia|mountain laurel]].<ref name="LaFrank66-67">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 66–67|ps=.}}</ref> Roosevelt, still taking an interest in the parkway, forced changes in the [[stonemasonry|stonework]] of the Peekskill Hollow Road overpass to be more consistent with local architectural traditions. The bridge also had to be re-engineered due to the swampy ground.<ref name="LaFrank62" />

Soil difficulties north of Mohansic Lake were making it difficult for the WSPC to complete its section as well. It was finished in late 1932, and paving began on the TSPC's section the following year. The first {{convert|2.4|mi|1}} had to be completely redone when the concrete slabs froze in place over the winter due to inadequately built drainage. Bridle paths along the median in this section, to Route&nbsp;301 and Fahnestock State Park, were opened in 1933. After it was paved with its initial layer, it was opened to the public temporarily on [[Independence Day (United States)|Fourth of July]] weekend in 1935. It was opened permanently several weeks later after the fine work was done.<ref name="LaFrank69-72">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|ppp= 69–72|ps=.}}</ref>

====1935–1939: southern Dutchess County====
Some land for the Taconic State Parkway in Pleasant Valley was acquired in early 1932.<ref name=nyt-1932-03-21>{{cite news |title=Taconic State Parkway Gets Land |date=March 21, 1932 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/03/21/archives/taconic-state-parkway-gets-land.html |access-date=November 14, 2022 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The TSPC took advantage of several [[New Deal]] programs that Roosevelt had established upon being [[1932 United States presidential election|elected president in 1932]]. Funds provided under the [[National Industrial Recovery Act]] were used to build the road, while [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC) workers based in camps at the commission's state parks improved the parks and landscaping along the highway. Roosevelt himself was no longer involved as actively as he had been in state office, but continued to make occasional suggestions, such as the location of picnic areas in Columbia County. He also took a widely publicized drive from his home in [[Hyde Park, New York|Hyde Park]] to the site of the [[1939 New York World's Fair]] in 1938 that brought publicity to the new highway.<ref name="LaFrank72-75" />

With Roosevelt preoccupied by his presidential responsibilities, his successor as TSPC chair, Francis Masters Jr., cultivated relationships with area state legislators. Assemblyman [[D. Mallory Stephens]] of Putnam County, and [[New York State Senate|Senator]] Charles Bontecou in Dutchess, became strong supporters of the parkway. They helped secure funding when a [[veto]] by governor [[Herbert Lehman]] in 1937 threatened to postpone paving for the next segment, to [[New York State Route 52|NY&nbsp;52]] in Dutchess County.<ref name="LaFrank72-75" />

That interchange marked a change in the parkway's design reflecting an evolution within the engineering community. Previously the parkway had been mostly undivided, with medians only in a few places where necessary. This, a practice of the WSPC, had helped save land acquisition costs. But increasingly medians proved to be safer and more scenic. The segment between routes 52 and [[New York State Route 82|82]] at Arthursburg was the first designed as a fully divided parkway, with a continuous median. For the rest of the Taconic's construction, the roadways would come together only when necessary, at bridges and grade intersections.<ref name="LaFrank72-75" />

Land acquisition had presented some problems, with some landowners attempting to [[Profiteering (business)|profiteer]] and others reneging on earlier donation agreements since the price of land in the parkway's path had gone up.<ref name="LaFrank55">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 55|ps=.}}</ref> The commissioners used their power of [[eminent domain]] sparingly,<ref name="LaFrank54" /> despite Moses's recommendations to the contrary, preferring to negotiate with local landowners since they, too, were longtime residents of the region.<ref name="LaFrank40">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 40|ps=.}}</ref> A {{convert|500|acre|ha|adj=on}} land donation from James Baird, an engineer whose firm had built the [[Lincoln Memorial]] in Washington, led to the creation of [[James Baird State Park]] along the parkway in LaGrange.<ref name="LaFrank72-75" />

Farmers, some of whom had received grade crossings to ensure that they could cross the parkway to their lands,<ref name="LaFrank54" /> nevertheless complained that they couldn't take their own families for a ride on the road, since they often owned [[pickup truck]]s as their primary vehicles, which were not allowed on the road as commercial vehicles until decades later, as privately licensed or "combination-plated" vehicles. Local governments also saw the parkway as offering little benefit to their transportation needs, since it avoided the settlements in the region and could not handle commercial vehicles. The commission did not help matters by aggressively opposing paralleling road projects, on the grounds that it would spoil the views from the highway.<ref name="LaFrank46">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 46|ps=.}}</ref>

The next section of the Taconic, north to [[New York State Route 55|NY&nbsp;55]], {{convert|9|mi|km|spell=in}} east of [[Poughkeepsie (city), New York|Poughkeepsie]], opened in late 1939.<ref name="LaFrank72-75" /> That year, Roosevelt wrote the commission with another suggestion, that an extension be built westward to Hyde Park.<ref name="LaFrank41" /> The commission also acquired Lake Taghkanic, the next park it proposed for the parkway.<ref>{{cite web |first = S.M. |last = John |date = November 19, 2017 |url = https://www.smjohn.com/article/taconic-state-parkway-105-miles-from-the-northern-suburbs |title = Lake Taghkanic |access-date = February 15, 2018 |work = smjohn.com }}{{sps|certain=yes|date=February 2018}}</ref>

====1941–1949: the war years====
[[File:Shenandoah service station on Taconic State Parkway, HAER photo.jpg|thumb|The Shenandoah service station, now closed, in 1999]]
The Poughkeepsie connection allowed traffic to access the new [[Mid-Hudson Bridge]], making the Taconic a more vital link in the state road network. In 1940 traffic counts increased heavily, showing that the parkway was now being used for more than the weekend pleasure trips it was originally intended for. The TSPC erected two more service areas, Shenandoah north of Hosner Mountain Road, and Todd Hill Road, to accommodate the increased traffic.<ref name="LaFrank75">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 75|ps=.}}</ref> The commission also closed (permanently, as it turned out) the bridle paths along the median strip in Putnam County, unsure about how it would pay for them.<ref name="LaFrank69-72" />

In 1941, two developments occurred with a major impact on the highway. Early that year, Assemblyman Stephens introduced a bill similar to the one Lehman had vetoed four years earlier. This time it passed, giving the TSPC not only the $3.6 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|3600000|1941}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}) to extend the parkway to Columbia County but putting the Westchester sections, including the entire Bronx River Parkway extension and the planned [[Bear Mountain Parkway]], under the commission's jurisdiction. Later that year the U.S. entered [[World War II]], putting a halt to actual construction for the duration.<ref name="LaFrank75" />

The [[United States Department of Defense|War Department]] designated the Taconic a military highway, requiring it to be open for troop movements. It also deemed the Croton Reservoir bridge strategically important and had it protected by armed guards. The commission lowered the speed limit from 40 to 30&nbsp;mph (65 to 50&nbsp;km/h) to conserve fuel, limited maintenance to [[snow removal]] and mowing and [[Blackout (wartime)|kept streetlights off]] everywhere except the bridge throughout the war.<ref name="LaFrank75" /> The speed limit on the section from Valhalla to Hawthorne was increased back to 40&nbsp;mph until 1962.<ref name=nyt-1962-05-10>{{cite news |title=40-Mile Taconic Strip Speed |date=May 10, 1962 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/05/10/archives/40mile-taconic-strip-speed.html |access-date=November 14, 2022 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Planning continued for the northern Dutchess stretch, to be built after the war. With the enforced break in construction, and its new authority over the entire road, the commission began to look at ways to improve what had already been built, especially in light of the road's growing role as a regional artery. The [[Hawthorne Circle]], where the Taconic, [[Saw Mill River Parkway]] and [[New York State Route 100|NY&nbsp;100]] intersected, was the major problem. It had become a magnet for accidents and [[Traffic congestion|congestion]]. A 1944 study recommended it be replaced with a three-level grade-separated interchange.<ref name="LaFrank77-78">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 77–78|ps=.}}</ref>

The study also suggested eliminating some of the more dangerous grade intersections in Westchester as well. Without the money to build new exits, the TSPC settled for larger stop signs on the intersecting roads. It would seek the money for the interchanges after the war.<ref name="LaFrank77-78" />

The road's northern terminus had still not been settled. In 1942 state highway commissioner H.O. Schermerhorn suggested it might be more useful if the road veered west north of Chatham towards Albany to connect to a proposed bridge over the Hudson there. The TSPC inspected the proposed route and found it would be very expensive to acquire and build, and in 1943 Schermerhorn agreed that the Taconic should continue on its planned course northwards.<ref name="LaFrank77-78" /> Three years later, in 1946, the commission also considered the Hyde Park extension proposed by the recently deceased Roosevelt, but dropped it as construction was resuming with the end of the war.<ref name="LaFrank41" />

Paving had begun that year to Clinton Corners, but the commission became embroiled in controversy over Lake Taghkanic further north. In the two decades since the TSPC had bought the property, more cottages had been built along the lake. It would be necessary to [[eminent domain|condemn]] 110 of them to follow the proposed route {{convert|225|ft|m}} west of the lake, similar to how the parkway had been built at Mohansic Lake to allow for a view from the road. The owners objected, and were able to persuade their state legislators to introduce a bill requiring a new parkway alignment at least {{convert|750|ft|m}} west of the lake and prohibiting the commission from acquiring any property along it or constructing any of the road north of Route&nbsp;199 until it had acquired a new route. Governor [[Thomas E. Dewey]] signed it into law in 1946 over Moses's objections, delaying planning for two years.<ref name="LaFrank77-82">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 77–82|ps=.}}</ref>

Dewey also advocated the construction of a statewide "thruway" system of limited-access divided highways that would, unlike the parkways, be designed for buses and trucks as well as automobiles and serve commercial needs. Part of the system was a proposed "Berkshire Thruway" which would be the Taconic's northern terminus, even as the commission was studying a route through [[Rensselaer County, New York|Rensselaer County]] to the north.<ref name="LaFrank83-84">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 83–84|ps=.}}</ref>

State highway money was increasingly diverted to planning the thruway system. The proposed Berkshire Thruway terminus gave the TSPC renewed vigor in continuing construction, but meant that it had to abandon plans for a connection to the Tri-State Park, its original mandate. In October 1949, Dewey cut the chain on the section between Routes 55 and 199.<ref name="LaFrank83-84" />

====1950–1963: Columbia County====
As the designers and builders pushed north into Columbia County, connecting Lake Taghkanic State Park at last to the parkway, they took advantage of the more open and rolling terrain to improve the road's scenic possibilities. Medians averaged {{convert|100|ft|m}} in width, and it was easier to include views of the distant Catskills. Curves were generally wider than they had been in Dutchess County. A service station was built in the median at the park, and a scenic overlook at [[County Route 8 (Columbia County, New York)|CR&nbsp;8]].<ref name="LaFrank84-85">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 84–85|ps=.}}</ref>

Dewey again presided at the opening of the link from Route&nbsp;199 to [[New York State Route 82|82]] in October 1954. He expressed pride in having gotten the parkway out of Dutchess County at last under his tenure. He also called for parkway designers to straighten the roads out, and praised the Thruway, then under construction on the opposite side of the river. Moses, in his speech, recalled Roosevelt's original hope to build the parkway all the way to Canada, the idea he had opposed three decades before. It did not appear likely that this would happen in any event, between the likely end of the Taconic at the Berkshire section of the Thruway and the recently announced plan to build the [[Adirondack Northway]] from Albany to Canada as part of the new [[Interstate Highway System]].<ref name="LaFrank84-85" />

[[Grading (construction)|Grading]] of the next section, to reach [[New York State Route 23|NY&nbsp;23]], had begun a month before the ceremony. When it was completed in summer 1956, paving was delayed because the money had not been released due to disagreement over whether to continue the use of concrete or asphalt. This was settled in favor of concrete and paving began in spring of 1957.<ref name="LaFrank86-87">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 86–87|ps=.}}</ref>

Asphalt proved less expensive, and it was used again when the next and last section of the Taconic to the Thruway was paved in the early 1960s. During this time another governor, [[Nelson Rockefeller]], proposed that management of the road be turned over to a new entity, the East Hudson Parkway Authority (EHPA), along with all the other Westchester parkways since the debt the county had incurred building and maintaining them was becoming a financial burden. The new [[New York state public-benefit corporations|authority]] would oversee a $50 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|50000000|1960}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}) rehabilitation program.<ref name="LaFrank88-89">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 88–89|ps=.}}</ref>

The TSPC was opposed to the new plan. Its commissioners feared that their greatest work would pass to the control of an agency for which it would be just one of many responsibilities, and that it would be necessary to make the Taconic a [[toll road]] in order to pay for the improvements planned.<ref name="LaFrank88-89" /> When the bill passed and the EHPA was created, with most of its members from Westchester, Columbia County residents feared the road would never be completed. The TSPC was allowed to operate the Taconic through 1962, by agreement with the EHPA, since the former's budget was already in place.<ref name="LaFrank88-89" />

When it took over, the EHPA established the toll gate at the Thruway as the northern limit of its jurisdiction, ending any plans that some of the TSPC commissioners had had of continuing at least to [[U.S. Route 20 in New York|US&nbsp;20]] a short distance to the north.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1959/04/04/91419055.html?pageNumber=6|title = 12-Mile Addition Set for Taconic Parkway| work=The New York Times }}</ref> An opening ceremony celebrating the completion of the road after almost four decades was planned for November 25, 1963.<ref name=n113057387>{{Cite news|date=1963-11-14|title=Taconic Hooking Up Officially to Thruway|pages=806|work=Daily News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113057387/taconic-hooking-up-officially-to-thruway/|access-date=2022-11-14}}</ref><ref name=n113057604>{{Cite news|date=1963-11-14|title=Extension of Taconic Due to Open Nov. 25|pages=12|work=The Daily Item|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113057604/extension-of-taconic-due-to-open-nov-25/|access-date=2022-11-14}}</ref> The parkway opened as scheduled,<ref name=nyt-1963-11-25>{{cite news |first=Joseph C. |last=Ingraham |title=Last Taconic Link is Opening Today; a Toll-free Highway Now Ties Southwestern New England to City Area  |date=1963-11-25 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/11/25/archives/last-taconic-link-is-opening-today-a-tollfree-highway-now-ties.html |access-date=2022-11-14 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> but the ceremony was canceled due to the [[John F. Kennedy assassination|assassination]] of President [[John F. Kennedy]] three days earlier.<ref name="LaFrank86-87" />

===Improvements and reconstruction===
====1961–1979, EHPA administration====
As early as its 1941 study the TSPC had had documentary evidence that some sections of the parkway, particularly in Westchester, were already outmoded. After the war, it had had to put most of the money it was now competing with the interstate system for into finishing the road. It was able to make one improvement, eliminating the grade intersection at Underhill Road in 1954. Clarke designed a new bridge architecturally sympathetic to those built in the early 1930s.<ref name="LaFrank87-88">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 87–88|ps=.}}</ref>
[[File:Briarcliff Wells Gas Station.jpg|left|thumb|Briarcliff Wells service station, since demolished]]
The TSPC had also planned to realign the road at Lake Mohansic and replace the grade intersection with an interchange. In 1962, while the commission was finishing the northern section of the Taconic, the EHPA began that project. The original parkway became the northbound roadway and a new southbound one was built. The EHPA's improvements made the road safer and more efficient for the commuters who now used it, but changed the character of the road, widening it and replacing its concrete pavement with asphalt and its wooden guardrails with steel ones that were allowed to rust in order to approximate the color of their predecessors.<ref name="LaFrank90">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 90|ps=.}}</ref> In 1964, [[Interstate 84 in New York|I-84]] was built through Dutchess and Putnam counties, giving the middle of the Taconic a controlled-access intersecting route that made it possible to access the [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]] and [[Newburgh (city), New York|Newburgh]] areas via the parkway.<ref name="I-84 history">{{cite web |last = Anderson |first = Steve |title = Interstate 84-New York Historic Overview |url = http://www.nycroads.com/roads/I-84_NY/ |work = NYCRoads |access-date = January 12, 2009 }}{{sps|certain=yes|date=February 2018}}</ref>

Other EHPA improvements included the replacement of the Hawthorne Circle with an interchange and the construction of the new southbound bridge at Croton Reservoir. The {{convert|1362|ft|m|adj=on}} [[steel truss]] bridge<ref name="LaFrank90" /> was named the most beautiful medium-span low-clearance bridge of 1970 by the [[American Institute of Steel Construction]].<ref name="LaFrank7">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 7|ps=.}}</ref>

Moving north from Westchester, the authority sought to improve the Peekskill Hollow section, which had been so difficult to build initially. It had the highest accident rate on the Taconic, with 18 fatalities in 1965–66.<ref name=n113057263>{{Cite news|date=1966-07-12|title=EHPA Reviews Years Activities Plans $9.5 Million Taconic Job|pages=11|work=The Daily Item|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113057263/ehpa-reviews-years-activities-plans/|access-date=2022-11-14}}</ref><ref name="LaFrank91"/> The trees and cliffs kept the sun off the road, making it icy in wintertime.<ref name="LaFrank91"/> The EHPA planned to reconstruct a {{convert|3|mi|km|adj=on}} section in Yorktown in 1966,<ref name=n113057263/> and it announced plans for a metal barrier in the middle of the road in 1967.<ref name="LaFrank91"/><ref name=nyt-1967-03-22>{{cite news |title=$2-Million Fence Planned for Center Of Taconic Parkway |date=March 22, 1967 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/03/22/archives/2million-fence-planned-for-center-of-taconic-parkway.html |access-date=November 14, 2022 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It also planned another southbound roadway as much as {{convert|1.5|mi|1}} to the west.<ref name="LaFrank91">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 91|ps=.}}</ref>

Residents of the area objected to the effect it would have on Fahnestock State Park. They also feared that the hamlet of Tompkins Corners, and other residents in the area, would become isolated in a large median strip. It would also be necessary to condemn a popular [[summer camp]] for city children that had been displaced to the area when the Thruway was routed through its original land in [[Orange County, New York|Orange County]]. Due to this opposition, the EHPA abandoned any plans for a realignment around Peekskill Hollow.<ref name="LaFrank92-93">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 92–93|ps=.}}</ref>

In 1979, with Westchester's parkways adequately upgraded, the EHPA dissolved itself and turned control of all its roads, including the Taconic, over to the Department of Public Works' successor, the state [[New York State Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]] (NYSDOT). The new operator established the Westchester Parkways Commission for public input and planned a program to continue the rehabilitation and upkeep of the parkways.<ref name="LaFrank93">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 93|ps=.}}</ref>

====1979–present: DOT administration====
In 1980, the commuter-oriented [[Sprain Brook Parkway]] was completed to the Taconic, providing a higher-speed, signal-free means between it and the freeway portion of the [[Bronx River Parkway]]. DOT continued to remake the road in Westchester, where 90,000 vehicles used the parkway on an average day,<ref name="Dutchess29 phase 1 report">{{cite web |author = Taconic State Parkway Task Force |title = Taconic Task Force Report 1 |url = http://www.dutchess29.org/state_documents/Taconic_Task_Force_Report_1_from_PoJo.html |via = dutchess29.org |date = December 21, 2001 |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |access-date = January 9, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927050237/http://www.dutchess29.org/state_documents/Taconic_Task_Force_Report_1_from_PoJo.html |archive-date = September 27, 2007 }}</ref> reconfiguring exits, widening the roadways and putting asphalt over the original concrete, to the point that most of the parkway in the county bore little resemblance to its original appearance. The Taconic was designated a State Scenic Byway in 1992, and a multidisciplinary Corridor Management Plan was drafted and implemented seven years later to ensure that future changes to the road preserved and improved safety with minimal impact on its scenic and historic character.<ref name="LaFrank93" /><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/scenic-byways/parkways-no-detailed-info |title = New York's Parkways |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |work = New York State Scenic Byways |access-date = April 1, 2010 }}</ref> The next year the parkway was inventoried for the [[Historic American Engineering Record]].<ref name="HAER page">{{cite web |title = Taconic State Parkway, Poughkeepsie vicinity, Dutchess County, NY |url = http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hh:@field(DOCID+@lit(NY1847)) |publisher = [[Library of Congress]] |work = [[Historic American Engineering Record]] |year = 1999 |access-date = January 10, 2010 }}</ref>

[[File:Former Todd Hill Road rest stop, Taconic State Parkway.jpg|right|thumb|The closed Todd Hill rest stop building in 2010, since reopened as a Taste NY store|alt=A small white building sided in shingles with a black asphalt bell-shaped roof, seen from its left. A slightly lower eing with a pointed roof projects toward the right. Its doors are screened and locked, and it looks neglected. Two black iron lamppots rise next to a curb and pavement at its left]]
In the 21st century, DOT began addressing safety issues in Dutchess County, where traffic counts had increased by 7–11% annually since the 1970s.<ref name="Dutchess29 phase 1 report" /> A 2003 task force report recommended action on many of the grade intersections, closing some completely while closing just the medians on others. Only the Salt Point Turnpike ([[New York State Route 115|NY&nbsp;115]]) junction was spared.<ref name="DOT phase 2 report">{{cite press release |title = New York State Department of Transportation Releases Phase 2 of Aggressive Taconic State Parkway Recommendations |url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/regional-offices/region8/other-topics/tsp-safety/tspphase.html |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |date = June 3, 2002 }}</ref>

There was some local controversy about the changes. Residents of some rural areas worried that the intersection closings would isolate them, and [[historic preservation|preservationists]] felt [[Cell site|cell phone towers]] would detract from the scenic beauty along the parkway. Other residents welcomed the construction of [[noise barrier]]s along sections that bordered near their homes.<ref name="2001 NYT story">{{cite news |title = Transportation; The Taconic Parkway: A Road in Transition |last = Gottlieb |first = Jane |newspaper = The New York Times |date = April 22, 2001 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/22/nyregion/transportation-the-taconic-parkway-a-road-in-transition.html |access-date = January 9, 2010 }}</ref>

There are no plans currently to modify any of the grade intersections north of Route&nbsp;199, where use of the parkway has not significantly increased.<ref name="Dutchess29 phase 2 report">{{cite web |author = Taconic State Parkway Task Force |title = Taconic Task Force Report 2 |url = http://www.dutchess29.org/state_documents/Taconic_Task_Force_Report_2_from_PoJo.html |via = dutchess29.org |date = June 2, 2002 |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |access-date = January 9, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927050213/http://www.dutchess29.org/state_documents/Taconic_Task_Force_Report_2_from_PoJo.html |archive-date = September 27, 2007 }}</ref> The grade intersection at Pudding Street in Putnam County was replaced by a new diamond interchange between 2019 and 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|title=At Last: The Single Most Dangerous Intersection in Putnam Set for Overhaul|first=Eric|last=Gross|newspaper=The Putnam County News and Recorder|date=October 16, 2019|url=https://www.pcnr.com/articles/at-last-the-single-most-dangerous-intersection-in-putnam-set-for-overhaul}}</ref><ref name=pcnr_july_2021>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcnr.com/articles/residents-celebrate-opening-of-pudding-street-overpass-on-the-taconic/|title = Residents Celebrate Opening of Pudding Street Overpass on the Taconic| website = The Putnam County News & Recorder|date = July 6, 2021|last = Gross|first = Eric}}</ref> The state had previously added turn lanes and widened the median so that a school bus would not block the road, but members of the county's Traffic Safety Board, including the [[sheriff]], said that accidents were still too frequent.<ref>{{cite news |title = Traffic Safety Board Calls for Upgrade of Pudding Street Interchange at Taconic State Parkway |url = http://www.pcnr.com/news/2004/0225/Front_Page/067.html |newspaper = [[Putnam County News and Recorder]] |location = Cold Spring, NY |date = February 25, 2004 |access-date = January 9, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928051401/http://www.pcnr.com/news/2004/0225/Front_Page/067.html |archive-date = September 28, 2007}}</ref> Similarly, there has been talk in Dutchess County of replacing the Carpenter Road intersection with an interchange.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

When the parkway was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places|National Register]] in late 2005,<ref name="NPS NRHP listing page">{{cite web |url = https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2005-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |title = National Register of Historic Places Listings |date = December 12, 2005 |publisher = National Park Service |access-date = April 1, 2010 }}</ref> the entire right-of-way from Kensico Circle to the Thruway merge was included, creating a {{convert|7067|acre|ha|adj=on}}<ref name="LaFrank97">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF p. 97|ps=.}}</ref> linear [[Historic district (United States)|historic district]]. These {{convert|11|sqmi|km2}} make the parkway the third largest Register listing in the state.<ref group=lower-alpha>The [[Adirondack Park]] and [[Hudson River Historic District]] are the larger two.</ref> The entire parkway, right-of-way and supporting buildings and structures were considered [[contributing property|contributing]] except for the {{convert|15|mi|0}} of rebuilt roadway between the former Hawthorne Circle and Crom Pond Road and 23 bridges in the southern three counties.<ref name="LaFrank11-15">{{harvp|LaFrank|2002|loc=PDF pp. 11–15|ps=.}}</ref>

The parkway got another state park in 2006, when another wealthy individual donated land. [[Donald Trump]] had bought {{convert|436|acre|ha}} along the east side of the road near the Westchester–Putnam county line in 1998, intending to develop it into a hotel and golf course.<ref name="Trump purchase story">{{cite news |title = More Golf Courses Coming, 3, Maybe 4, from Trump |last = Vizard |first = Mary McAleer |newspaper = The New York Times |date = June 21, 1998 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/realestate/in-the-region-westchester-more-golf-courses-coming-3-maybe-4-from-trump.html |access-date = November 6, 2010 }}</ref> Local opposition was considerable, and he decided to donate the land to the state. It is now [[Donald J. Trump State Park]], with separate parcels called Indian Hill and French Hill.<ref name="Trump State Park">{{cite news |title = The Ultimate in Luxury Parks |last = Brenner |first = Elsa |newspaper = The New York Times |date = April 23, 2006 |url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E7D8143FF930A15757C0A9609C8B63&scp=62&sq=Taconic%20State%20Parkway&st=cse |access-date = January 9, 2010 }}</ref>

In July 2009, [[2009 Taconic State Parkway crash|Diane Schuler]] of [[West Babylon, New York|West Babylon]] crashed her van head-on into an oncoming [[sport utility vehicle]] (SUV) while [[wrong-way driving|driving south in the northbound lanes]]<ref>{{cite news |title = Anatomy of a Tragic Accident |newspaper = The New York Times |date = July 27, 2009 |url = http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/07/27/nyregion/0728-met-web2CRASH.jpg |access-date = October 21, 2011 }}</ref> approximately {{convert|1.7|mi|1}} north of the Pleasantville Road exit. Eight people, including Schuler and several children, were killed. [[2009 Taconic State Parkway crash|The accident]] was the deadliest ever on the parkway, and the worst motor vehicle accident in Westchester County since 1934. Schuler was determined to have been [[driving under the influence]] of both alcohol and marijuana.<ref>{{cite news |title = Tests Show Driver Was Drunk in Parkway Crash that Killed 8 |last1 = Baker |first1 = Al |last2 = Foderaro |first2 = Lisa |newspaper = The New York Times |date = August 4, 2009 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/nyregion/05crash.html |access-date = January 9, 2010 }}</ref>

The road, which has a lower accident rate than average for New York, was not considered to be at fault. Some changes were nevertheless made. Two large "Wrong Way" signs were installed on the ramp she drove down. Westchester County Executive [[Andrew Spano]] ordered that signage at onramps on the Taconic and other parkways in the county be checked to make sure "there can be no question of whether you're entering or exiting."<ref name="NYT post-schuler story">{{cite news |title = 2009 Traffic Meets 1920s Design on Road Where Crash Killed 8 |last = Foderaro |first = Lisa W. |newspaper = The New York Times |date = August 17, 2009 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/nyregion/18taconic.html |access-date = January 9, 2010 }}</ref> The state legislature passed [[Leandra's Law]], making it a [[felony]] to drive while intoxicated with a passenger 16 or younger, partly as a result of the accident.<ref name="Leandra's law">{{cite press release |author = Office of State Senator Frank Padavan |author-link = Frank Padavan |title = Senate Passes Leandra's Law |url = http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senate-passes-leandras-law |publisher = Office of State Senator Frank Padavan |date = December 29, 2009 |access-date = January 9, 2010 }}</ref>

In the years 2009 and 2010, the existing "rustic" guide rail along the medians and edges of the parkway were systematically replaced with zinc-coated type guide rail. The existing "rustic" box beam, cable, and w-shape guide rail were replaced.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

According to data compiled by the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]], the Taconic was the second deadliest road in Dutchess County after [[U.S. Route 9 in New York|US&nbsp;9]] between 1994 and 2008. [[New York State Police]] blamed travelers exceeding [[Speed limits in the United States by jurisdiction#New York|speed limits]], wildlife crossings and trucks being directed onto the parkway by their [[GPS navigation device]]s. The state was planning to post more explicit signage making it clear that trucks are not allowed on parkways in New York.<ref name="second deadliest road in Dutchess">{{cite news |title = Route 9 Deemed Deadliest Road in Dutchess |last = Stewart |first = Emily |newspaper = [[Poughkeepsie Journal]] |date = December 29, 2009 |url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/poughkeepsiejournal/access/1928565311.html?FMT=ABS&amp;date=Dec+27,+2009 |access-date = January 9, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121024181853/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/poughkeepsiejournal/access/1928565311.html?FMT=ABS&date=Dec+27,+2009 |archive-date = October 24, 2012}}</ref>

==Exit list ==
[[File:Taconic Pkwy at Exit 20 in Shrub Oak, NY.png|thumb|right|Mileage-based exit sign, implemented in 2016]]

Intersections and interchanges were formerly numbered sequentially with a single letter prefix indicating the county, with exit numbers resetting at county lines.<ref name="1962map">{{cite map |title=New York with Sight-Seeing Guide |author=[[Esso]] |author2=[[General Drafting]] |year=1962 |publisher=Esso}}{{full citation needed|date=February 2018}}</ref><ref name="1958map">{{cite map |title=New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region |author=Esso |author2=General Drafting |year=1958}}{{full citation needed|date=February 2018}}</ref> Intersection numbers were posted on small tabs attached to the intersection sign, as opposed to on [[gore (road)|gore]] signs as on other limited-access highways. Numbering was not necessarily sequential, as some exits were removed or added after the parkway opened.<ref name=taconic2016-1>{{cite web |author=[[New York State Department of Transportation]] |title=Taconic State Parkway Signs Stage 1 NYS 987G (S.H. 9480) Putnam and Westchester Counties |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/portal/pls/portal/MEXIS_APP.BC_CONST_NOTICE_ADMIN.VIEWFILE?p_file_id=9306&p_is_digital=Y |publisher=[[New York State Department of Transportation]] |access-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref><ref name=taconic2016-2>{{cite web |author=[[New York State Department of Transportation]] |title=Taconic State Parkway Signs Stage 2 NYS 987G (S.H. 9481, S.H. 9482, S.H. 9483) Putnam, Dutchess & Columbia Counties |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/portal/pls/portal/MEXIS_APP.BC_CONST_NOTICE_ADMIN.VIEWFILE?p_file_id=14035&p_is_digital=Y |publisher=[[New York State Department of Transportation]] |access-date=November 16, 2016}}</ref>

From 2016 to 2018, NYSDOT added mileage-based [[exit number]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reakes |first1=Kathy |last2=Lombardi |first2=Joe |title=New Taconic Parkway Exit Signs in Westchester Unveiled |url=http://yorktown.dailyvoice.com/news/new-taconic-parkway-exit-signs-in-westchester-unveiled/693599/ |website=Yorktown Daily Voice |date=January 2017 |access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref> At-grade intersections were not numbered, though their signage was improved.  The Taconic, which is the state's longest parkway, previously stood out for its lack of exit numbers ever since the county-based numbering system was removed in the late 1990s.<ref name="taconicnumbers">{{cite news |last1=Coyne |first1=Matt |title=Taconic State Parkway to Get Exit Numbers |url=http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2016/09/01/taconic-exit-numbers/89580634/ |access-date=September 6, 2016 |work=[[The Journal News]] |location=White Plains, NY |date=September 4, 2016}}</ref>
{{-}}
{{jcttop|old|old_ref=<br /><ref name="1962map"/><ref name="1958map"/>|exit_ref=<br /><ref name=taconic2016-1/><ref name=taconic2016-2/>|length_ref=<br /><ref name="2007tdr">{{cite web |author = Highway Data Services Bureau Traffic Monitoring Section |url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Data%20Report%202007.pdf |title = 2007 Traffic Data Report for New York State |date = July 25, 2008 |publisher = [[New York State Department of Transportation]] |access-date = July 17, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="google maps">{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.0687667,-73.7692072/42.4184144,-73.5490988/@41.7827091,-73.6048398,8.55z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-73.7899052!2d41.6610078!3s0x89dd4103e3845af5:0x569a381b7a5ac70e!1m0!3e0 |title=Taconic State Parkway |access-date=December 29, 2015}}</ref>}}
<!--only interchanges, at-grade intersections with other state routes or parkways, or at-grade intersections that once carried an "exit" number are listed-->
{{NYint|old
|county=Westchester
|cspan=30
|location=North Castle
|mile=0.00
|exit=–
|road={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Bronx River|dir1=south|city1=White Plains}}
|notes=Continuation beyond Kensico Circle
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Valhalla
|lspan=6
|mile=0.10
|old=W1
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|road|Broadway|I|287|to2=yes|NY|22}}
|notes=[[At-grade intersection]]; no southbound entrance; I-287/NY 22 not signed northbound
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=0.40
|old=W2
|exit=
|road={{jct|state=NY|extra=rail}} Cleveland Street&nbsp;– [[Valhalla (Metro-North station)|Valhalla Station]]
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=0.45
|old=W3
|exit=
|type=incomplete
|road=Valhalla Place
|notes=Northbound at-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=0.50
|old=W4
|exit=
|type=closed
|road=Legion Drive
|notes=Intersection replaced with overpass
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=1.20
|old=W5
|exit=
|road=Lakeview Avenue&nbsp;– [[Kensico Cemetery]], [[Sharon Gardens]]
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=1.60
|old=W6
|exit=
|road=Commerce Street
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Mount Pleasant
|mile=2.40
|old=W7
|exit=
|road={{jct|state=NY|extra=rail}} Stevens Avenue&nbsp;– [[Mount Pleasant (Metro-North station)|Mount Pleasant Station]]
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Hawthorne
|lspan=4
|mile=2.85
|mspan=2
|place=Southern end of freeway section
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=none
|old=&nbsp;
|exit=2
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Sprain Brook|dir1=south|location1=[[New York City]]}}
|notes=Southbound exit and northbound entrance; northern terminus of Sprain Brook Parkway
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=3.10
|mile2=3.80
|mspan=2
|old=W8
|type=incomplete
|exit=2
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|141|NY|9A|to2=yes|name2=[[New York State Route 100|NY 100]]|city1=Hawthorne}}
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=none
|old=&nbsp;
|exit=3
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Saw Mill|city1=Brewster|city2=Yonkers}}
|notes=Same-directional access only; exit 26 on Saw Mill River Parkway
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Mount Pleasant
|lspan=2
|mile=4.00
|old=W9
|exit=4
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|117|city1=Sleepy Hollow|city2=Pleasantville}}
|notes=Northbound exit and entrance
}}
{{NYint|old
|old=W10
|mile=4.67
|exit=5
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|9A|dir1=north|NY|100|dir2=north}}
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Briarcliff Manor
|lspan=2
|mile=5.63
|old=W11
|exit=6
|road=Pleasantville Road{{jct|state=NY|city1=Briarcliff Manor|city2=Pleasantville}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=7.00
|old=W12
|type=closed
|exit=
|road=Chappaqua Road
|notes=Intersection replaced with overpass
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Millwood
|lspan=2
|mile=8.30
|old=W13
|type=closed
|exit=
|road=Campfire Road
|notes=Intersection eliminated
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=8.50
|old=W14
|exit=8
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|100|NY|133|city1=Briarcliff Manor|city2=Millwood}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=New Castle
|mile=9.80
|old=W15
|exit=9
|type=incomplete
|road=Pines Bridge Road
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Yorktown
|lspan=2
|mile=10.84
|old=W16
|exit=11
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|134|city1=Ossining|areadab1=village}}
|notes=Signed as exits 11A (east) and 11B (west) southbound
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=12.00
|old=W17
|type=closed
|exit=
|road=Illington Road
|notes=Intersection replaced with overpass
}}
{{jctbridge|old
|location_special=[[New Croton Reservoir|Croton Reservoir]]
|mile=12.70
|mile2=12.90
|bridge=[[AMVETS]] Memorial Bridge
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Yorktown
|lspan=3
|mile=14.00
|old=W18
|exit=13
|road={{jct|state=NY|road|Underhill Avenue|city1=Croton-on-Hudson|city2=Yorktown Heights}}
|notes=Former [[New York State Route 131 (1930&ndash;mid-1940s)|NY&nbsp;131]]
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=15.00
|old=W19
|exit=14
|road=Baldwin Road
|notes=Former [[New York State Route 132A|NY&nbsp;132A]]
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=16.40
|old=W20
|exit=16
|road=[[Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park]]
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Crompond
|lspan=2
|mile=17.14
|old=W21
|exit=17A
|road={{jct|state=NY|US|202|NY|35|city1=Yorktown Heights}}
|notes=
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=17.36
|old=W22
|exit=17B
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|Bear Mountain|to2=to|US|202|NY|35|dir1=west|dir2=west|dir3=west|city1=Peekskill}}
|notes=No northbound entrance; eastern terminus of Bear Mountain Parkway
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Shrub Oak
|lspan=3
|mile=19.76
|old=W23
|exit=19
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|132|city1=Shrub Oak}}
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=20.13
|mspan=2
|old=W24
|exit=20
|road={{jct|state=NY|US|6|city1=Mahopac|city2=Shrub Oak}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=none
|place=Northern end of freeway section
}}
{{NYint|old
|county=Putnam
|cspan=8
|location=Putnam Valley
|lspan=3
|mile=23.20
|old=P1
|exit=23
|road=Bryant Pond Road
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=24.30
|old=P2
|type=closed
|exit=
|road=Bullet Hole Road
|notes=Intersection eliminated
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=25.65
|old=P3
|exit=25
|road={{jctname|state=NY|CR|21|county1=Putnam|noshield1=yes|name1=Peekskill Hollow Road}}
}}
{{Jctint|old
|location_special=[[Clarence Fahnestock State Park|Fahnestock State Park]]
|lspan=3
|mile=28.10
|old=P4
|exit=28
|road=Pudding Street
|notes=
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=28.40
|old=P5
|type=closed
|exit=
|road=Wiccopee Road
|notes=Intersection eliminated
}}
{{Jctint|old
|mile=31.14
|old=P6
|exit=31
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|301|city1=Carmel|areadab1=hamlet|city2=Cold Spring}}
|notes=Signed as exits 31A (east) and 31B (west)
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Kent
|lspan=2
|mile=33.30
|old=P7
|type=incomplete
|exit=–
|road=Hortontown Hill Road
|notes=[[Right-in/right-out]] connections only
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=33.90
|old=P8
|type=incomplete
|exit=
|road=North Knapp Court
|notes=Northbound at-grade intersection; signed as Knapp Road
}}
{{NYint|old
|county=Dutchess
|cspan=34
|location=East Fishkill
|lspan=9
|mile=35.00
|old=D1
|exit=35
|road=Miller Hill Road
|notes=Location of [[Appalachian Trail]] crossing
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=36.92
|old=D2
|exit=37A-B
|road={{jct|state=NY|I|84|location1=[[Danbury, CT|Danbury]]|city2=Newburgh}}
|notes=Site of former exit with Jackson Road;<ref name="1958map" /> signed as exits 37A (east) and 37B (west); exits 52A-B on I-84
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=37.60
|type=closed
|old=D3
|road=Hosner Mountain Road
|notes=Intersection replaced with overpass
}}
{{NYint|old
|old=D4
|mile=38.39
|exit=38
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|52|city1=Fishkill|areadab1=village|city2=Carmel|areadab2=hamlet}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=40.10
|old=D5
|type=incomplete
|exit=
|road={{jctname|state=NY|CR|29|county1=Dutchess|noshield1=yes|name1=Carpenter Road}}
|notes=Right-in/right-out connections only
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=40.90
|old=D6
|type=closed
|exit=
|road=Stormville Road
|notes=Intersection eliminated
}}
{{NYint|old
|lspan=2
|mile=41.40
|old=D7
|exit=41
|road={{jct|state=NY|CR|9|county1=Dutchess|name1=Beekman Road|city1=Hopewell Junction|city2=Sylvan Lake}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=42.2
|type=closed
|old=D8
|exit=
|road=Bogardus Lane
|notes=Intersection eliminated
}}
{{NYint|old
|lspan=2
|mile=43.69
|old=D9
|exit=43A-B
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|82|city1=Hopewell Junction|city2=Arthursburg}}
|notes=Signed as exits 43A (east) and 43B (west)
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=LaGrange
|lspan=9
|type=incomplete
|old=D10
|ospan=2
|exit=45
|espan=2
|road={{jct|state=NY|CR|42|dir1=west|county1=Dutchess|county2=Dutchess|CR|21|to2=yes|name1=Arthursburg Road|city1=LaGrange}}
|notes=Southbound exit and entrance; eastern terminus of CR 42; serves [[Hudson Valley Regional Airport]]
}}
{{NYint
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|CR|21|county1=Dutchess|name1=Noxon Road|city1=LaGrange}}
|notes=Northbound exit only; serves [[Hudson Valley Regional Airport]]
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=46.25
|mspan=2
|place=Taste NY Store (formerly Todd Hill Rest Area)
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=none
|type=incomplete
|old=D11
|road=Todd Hill Road
|notes=Right-in/right-out connections only
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=47.05
|old=D12
|exit=47A-B
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|55|city1=Pawling|areadab1=village|city2=Poughkeepsie}}
|notes=Signed as exits 47A (east) and 47B (west)
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=47.55
|type=closed
|old=D13
|exit=
|road=Skidmore Road
|notes=Intersection eliminated
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=48.30
|old=D14
|exit=48
|road=[[James Baird State Park]]
|notes=[[Left exit]] northbound
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=49.65
|type=incomplete
|old=D15
|exit=
|road=Mountain Road
|notes=At-grade intersection; no turns
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=50.50
|old=D16
|type=incomplete
|road=McDonnell Road
|notes=Southbound at-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Pleasant Valley
|lspan=4
|mile=52.00
|old=D17
|road=Rossway Road / Drake Road
|notes=At-grade intersection; Drake Road not signed northbound
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=52.80
|old=D18
|road=Tyrrel Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=53.75
|old=D19
|road=Forest Ridge Lane
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=54.72
|old=D20
|exit=54
|road={{jct|state=NY|US|44|city1=Poughkeepsie|city2=Millbrook}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Clinton
|ctdab=Dutchess
|lspan=4
|mile=57.60
|type=incomplete
|old=D21
|road=Hibernia Road
|notes=Right-in/right-out connections only
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=57.80
|old=D22
|type=incomplete
|exit=
|road={{jctname|state=NY|noshield1=yes|CR|14|dir1=east|county1=Dutchess|name1=Hollow Road}}
|notes=Northbound at-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=58.30
|old=D23
|exit=58
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|115|dir1=south|CR|17|dir2=north|county2=Dutchess|name2=Salt Point Turnpike|city1=Salt Point|city2=Clinton Corners|city3=Hyde Park}}
|notes=Northern terminus of NY 115; southern terminus of CR 17
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=61.30
|old=D24
|type=incomplete
|exit=
|road=Willow Lane
|notes=Southbound at-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Stanford
|lspan=2
|mile=62.80
|old=D25
|type=incomplete
|exit=
|road=Nine Partners Road
|notes=Right-in/right-out connections only
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=64.60
|old=D26
|exit=64
|road={{jct|state=NY|CR|19|county1=Dutchess|name1=Bulls Head Road|city1=Rhinebeck|city2=Stanfordville}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Milan
|lspan=6
|mile=65.80
|old=D27
|type=incomplete
|exit=
|road=Willow Brook Road
|notes=Right-in/right-out connections only
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=66.40
|old=D28
|type=incomplete
|exit=
|road=Cold Spring Road
|notes=Right-in/right-out connections only
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=67.75
|old=D29
|exit=67
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|199|city1=Pine Plains|areadab1=CDP|city2=Red Hook|areadab2=village|city3=Rhinebeck|areadab3=village}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=69.30
|old=D30
|exit=
|road=North Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=70.30
|old=D31
|exit=
|road=Wilbur Flats Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=70.98
|old=D32
|exit=
|road=Ferris Lane
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|county1=Dutchess
|county2=Columbia
|location1=Milan
|location2=Gallatin
|mile=72.24
|old=C1
|exit=72
|road={{jct|state=NY|CR|2|dir1=west|dir2=east|CR|50|county1=Columbia|county2=Dutchess|name2=Jackson Corners Road|city1=Elizaville|city2=Ancram}}
|notes=Eastern terminus of CR 2; western terminus of CR 50
}}
{{NYint|old
|county=Columbia
|cspan=21
|location=Gallatin
|lspan=3
|mile=73.10
|old=C2
|road=Ten Neighbors Road
|notes=At-grade intersection; dead end
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=76.30
|place=Parking area (no facilities)
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=78.30
|old=C3
|road={{jct|state=NY|CR|15|nolink1=yes|road|Lake Taghkanic Road|location1=[[Lake Taghkanic State Park]]}}
|notes=At-grade intersection; CR 15 not signed; Lake Taghkanic State Park not signed northbound
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Taghkanic
|lspan=5
|mile=78.60
|old=C4
|type=incomplete
|road=[[Lake Taghkanic State Park]]
|notes=At-grade intersection; no southbound exit
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=79.72
|old=C5
|exit=80
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|82|city1=Ancram|city2=Hudson|location3=[[Rip Van Winkle Bridge]]}}
|notes=
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=80.50
|old=C6
|road={{jct|state=NY|CR|10|county1=Columbia}}
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=81.60
|old=C7
|road=Post Hill Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=84.10
|old=C8
|road=Snydertown Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Claverack
|lspan=4
|mile=84.60
|old=C9
|road=Manor Rock Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=86.50
|old=C10
|road=Bauer Road
|notes=At-grade intersection; dead end
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=87.30
|old=C11
|road=Palmer Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=87.77
|old=C12
|exit=88
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|23|location1=[[Claverack-Red Mills, New York|Claverack]]|city2=Hillsdale}}
|notes=Access to Athens-Hudson Ferry and [[Rip Van Winkle Bridge]]
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Ghent
|lspan=3
|old=C13
|exit=91
|mile=91.34
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|217|CR|21C|dir1=west|dir2=east|county2=Columbia|city1=Harlemville|city2=Philmont|city3=Hudson}}
|notes=Eastern terminus of NY 217; western terminus of CR 21C
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=92.00
|place=Parking area (no facilities)
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=93.70
|old=C14
|road=Harlemville Road
|notes=At-grade intersection
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Austerlitz
|lspan=2
|mile=94.90
|old=C15
|road=Rigor Hill Road
|notes=At-grade intersection; gas station
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=99.25
|old=C16
|exit=99
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|203|city1=Austerlitz|city2=Chatham|areadab2=village|city3=Valatie}}
}}
{{NYint|old
|location=Chatham
|lspan=4
|mile=101.88
|old=C17
|exit=102
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|295|city1=Chatham|areadab1=village|city2=East Chatham|city3=Canaan}}
|notes=Access via Birge Hill/Hartigan Roads; last northbound exit before toll
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=104.00
|exit=–
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|NY|295|to1=yes|city1=East Chatham|city2=Canaan}}
|notes=Southbound exit only; access via Upper Cady Road; all trucks must exit
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=104.10
|type=etc
|place=Exit B2 Toll Gantry
}}
{{NYint|old
|mile=104.12
|exit=–
|road={{jct|state=NY|I-Toll|90|name1={{jct|state=NY|NYBC||noshield1=yes}}|city1=Albany|location2=[[Boston]]}}
|notes=Exit&nbsp;B2 on I-90&nbsp;/ Thruway; northern terminus
}}
{{jctbtm|old|keys=closed,incomplete,etc}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|U.S. Roads|New York (state)|Hudson Valley}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Columbia County, New York]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Dutchess County, New York]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Putnam County, New York]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York]]
* [[Parkways in New York]]
{{-}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite Power Broker}}
* {{cite report |last = LaFrank |first = Kathleen |title = National Register of Historic Places nomination, Taconic State Parkway |url = http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=101200 |publisher = [[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |date = November 2002 |at=PDF p. 89}}<!-- https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05001398.pdf -->
* {{cite report|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05001398.pdf|title=Taconic State Parkway|date=2005|publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Park Service]]|ref={{harvid|National Park Service|2005}}}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Taconic State Parkway}}
{{Attached KML}}
{{NYSR external links|alps=taconic|termini=taconic}}
* {{HABS |survey=NY-6326 |id=ny1664 |title=Briarcliff Wells Service Station, Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, NY}}
* {{HAER |survey=NY-316 |id=ny1847 |title=Taconic State Parkway, Poughkeepsie vicinity, Dutchess County, NY}}
* [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/taconic/ nycroads.com - Taconic State Parkway]
* [http://www.gribblenation.net/nypics/taconic/ gribblenation.net - Taconic State Parkway]

[[Category:Parkways in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Yorktown, New York]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Transportation in Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:Transportation in Putnam County, New York]]
[[Category:Transportation in Dutchess County, New York]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in New York (state)]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Dutchess County, New York]]
[[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Transportation in Columbia County, New York]]
[[Category:Unfinished buildings and structures in the United States]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)]]