Taconic State Parkway Outed As Deadliest Road in New York

The Taconic State Parkway is the deadliest road in New York, according to a new article on the travel infotainment site OnlyInYourState.

The parkway, one of the state's earliest scenic highways, runs 104 miles from Kensico Circle to the Massachusetts Turnpike, roughly paralleling the Hudson River — a major artery for Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties, and a heavily-traveled road for local commuters as well as vacationers going back and forth between New York, the Berkshires and New England.

Designed to be scenic, for cars traveling much slower than today's usual speeds, it has two narrow lanes in each direction for much of its length and no shoulders to speak of. Passing on the Taconic is nerve-wracking, specially at night, according to this Patch reporter.

And the folks at OnlyInYourState don't mince words.

"All across our state you’ll find roads that will make your heart drop, whether it’s due to heavy traffic or tight, winding lanes that make you queasy. But there’s one particular highway and chaotic commute that we wouldn’t even wish upon our worst enemy," they write.

In the three years ending in July 2014, 2,080 crashes took place on the parkway, mostly in Putnam and Westchester counties, they report, using state police data.

What might be a factor in that, hmmm? State troopers had issued nearly 54,000 tickets to people traveling along the parkway in the last seven years, most issued in Westchester and Putnam and most for speeding, they report.

The Only In Your State article cites the intersection with Pudding Street as one of the most dangerous.

But this reporter would argue that the Peekskill Hollow Road interchange is the most disturbing, as cars speed down into the ravine, with stone walls on one side and a steep drop on the other, and a sharp right turn to make whether you're trying to get on or off, from the north or from the south.

"While it has a fascinating history, the parkway is now known for being one of the most dangerous highways in our state," the writers point out.

The road is actually on the register of historic places.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Hudson Valley resident himself, pushed for a scenic road to state parks — both open and planned. The Taconic, in fact, is at the center of most travel routes for people going to visit the FDR National Historic Site in Hyde Park. That's always a worthwhile trip, specially on the 1ooth anniversary of the National Parks Service that he and his wife Eleanor's Uncle Ted brought about.

Even if you do have to travel on the Taconic.

SEE ALSO:

• One Tank Adventures: Olana State Historic Site
  
• Historic Day Trips in the Hudson Valley
  
• One Tank Adventure: Rambling Through Rhinebeck
  

Now just who are these folks at OnlyInYourState?

They describe themselves as a fun, informal website that helps readers discover things to do in each of the 50 states. In addition to a website, they have a Facebook page for each state (two for California, north and south). If you check out their Facebook page for New York, you'll see their article mix includes seasonal fare like haunted hikes, reviews of parks and destinations, and lots of comments and photos from fans.

Read the entire article about the Taconic on Only In Your State.

PHOTO: The Taconic at Bear Mountain Parkway in Yorktown/ Phillip Capper via Wikimedia Commons

Image via Google Maps

Editor's Note: Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was the uncle of Eleanor Roosevelt. He walked her down the aisle when she married his distant cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who later became the 32nd president. The relationship was incorrect in the original version of this article. Patch regrets the error.