Popular ‘Shortcut’ in Beacon, New York No Longer Open?

Did you know that this once popular "shortcut" is no longer an option when driving in Beacon, New York?

I'm not sure if I missed the memo or not but after trying to navigate myself through Beacon over the weekend I noticed that a shortcut I used to take all the time was no longer an option as authorities stopped me and told me to turn around.

Beacon Short Cut Closed?

If you live in the Beacon area you might be aware that a shortcut that many locals used to use to cut around Beacon for many years is no longer useable. I had no idea because for many years anytime I needed to drive around the Beacon area and avoid Main Street or I needed to get near the Beacon High School from Route 52 in Fishkill I would always take a shortcut. If you've never used it before, the easiest way to get from Fishkill to Beacon High School is to turn onto Prospect Street off Route 52 and sneak around the front of the Fishkill Correctional Facility onto Matteawan Road.

For as long as I can remember if you drove the shortcut route there would be unmanned security booths and signs saying no through traffic or something like that on either end of the jail. The security booths rarely had anyone inside them stopping traffic so last weekend while I was driving to watch my son play a soccer match at the high school I was surprised that I was stopped and told I wasn't allowed to drive that way anymore.

What Happened to the Beacon Short Cut?

I hadn't taken this shortcut in a few years so as I approached the security booth Sunday I noticed there were stop signs and when I saw a guard come out of the booth to stop me I was confused as to what was going on. When I got to the signs the guard motioned for me to roll down my window, so I rolled it down and he told me that you aren't allowed to drive this way anymore. He told me to turn around and go back onto 52 and go up and make a right onto Wilkes to get to the school.

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Is This Something New?

As I mentioned I haven't driven this route in a while so I don't know if this is a new thing or not. Do you know how long the Beacon shortcut has been closed or do you have any information as to why they closed it down? Email me at CJ@HUDSONVALLEYCOUNTRY.COM with any information and I might use it for an upcoming article. Thank you!