Parkways in New York State

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The New York State Parkway System opened its first section in 1908 and was a series of high speed (25 Mph) four-lane roads that were created to provide a scenic way in to, out of, and around New York City. The parkway system is still in use today. Most of the early roads have been replaced and redesigned to address higher speed requirements and to increase capacity.

The parkway system introduced the concept of limited-access roads.^[1] These highways were not divided and allowed no driveway cuts, but did have intersections for some of the streets they crossed. A small section of the privately financed Long Island Motor Parkway was the first limited-access road to begin operation as a toll road^[2] and the first highway to use bridges and overpasses to eliminate intersections.^[3]

In later sections north of New York City, the road ways were typically divided by a wide landscaped median and provided service areas along the way that offered fuel and restrooms.^[4]