Rhinebeck Officials Want Fairgoers to Stop Using Back Roads

Town officials in Rhinebeck, New York are seeking ways to divert traffic off back roads during the Dutchess County County Fair.

The 178th Dutchess County Fair is set to take over the fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, NY starting Tuesday, August 20th, 2024 and as the area surrounding the fairgrounds prepares for more traffic than normal some local officials are looking at ways to keep traffic off back roads.

Dutchess County Fair Shortcuts

If you go to the fair every year and drive in from other parts of the Hudson Valley you probably have a "shortcut" to get there, right? Many of us use a variety of back roads each year to get to the fair which will have us avoiding driving on the main roads like Route 9, 9G, and Route 199. One of my favorite "secret shortcuts" is to take Route 9G from Poughkeepsie, make a left onto Violet Hill Rd, and then a left onto 308 and into the backside of the fairgrounds.

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Nowadays my shortcut isn't a secret but some of the other shortcuts folks use to avoid the fair traffic are causing concerns for area officials, so much so they are asking drivers to stop using some of the back roads according to the Daily Freeman.

Stop Driving Backroads to Get To Dutchess County Fair

Rhinebeck officials are hoping to have all fairgoers and large vehicles diverted from backroads like River Road, Mount Rutsen Road, and Montgomery Street to the state-owned U.S. Route 9 and Route 9G. The traffic diversion was discussed at a recent town board meeting with Town of Rhinebeck Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia saying,

"We should be stopping traffic from coming up Mount Rutsen…and keeping fair traffic on (routes) 9 and 199. It may entail us hiring police or working with the fairgrounds to do it."

 

Many residents in the area are in favor of a diversion because the increased traffic has caused damage to not only the roads but to some of the houses in the area as well. One resident told the Freeman that their issues are more with the large vehicles using the road because they are so big they cause their houses to shake, and send rocks flying everywhere leading to damaged windows.

It's unclear if any changes or diversions will happen this year or not. The Dutchess County Fair runs daily through Sunday, August 25th, 2024.