Kingston is where Route 9W, Route 28, Route 32, the Thruway and the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge approach all come together. Most of the area’s shopping is strung along Route 9W and Ulster Avenue in the Town of Ulster, and most of its traffic passes through the Kingston Traffic Circle.
We mapped every crash on the state roads in the City of Kingston and the Town of Ulster from 2021 through 2024 using New York State crash records. The short version: about four miles of road account for more than half of the crashes.
Kingston and the Town of Ulster by the numbers, 2021–2024
- 2,579 crashes on state roads, nearly two a day
- 548 crashes that injured someone
- 8 fatal crashes
- 51 crashes that involved a pedestrian or cyclist
| Area | Crashes | Injury crashes | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Ulster | 1,776 | 388 | 6 |
| City of Kingston | 803 | 160 | 2 |
These numbers cover state highways and state-maintained streets only, such as Route 9W, Route 28, Route 32, Ulster Avenue, Washington Avenue and Albany Avenue. Crashes on other city and town streets are not included, so the real totals are higher.
The ten most dangerous stretches
Ten stretches that add up to about 4 miles of road account for 1,377 crashes, or 53% of all crashes on the area’s state roads.
| Stretch | Town | Length | Crashes | Injury crashes | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 9W, Boices Lane to Route 199 | Town of Ulster | 0.9 mi | 362 | 81 | 0 |
| Kingston Traffic Circle, Washington Avenue approach and Route 28 to the Thruway | Town of Ulster | 0.9 mi | 333 | 39 | 0 |
| Albany Avenue, Flatbush Avenue to Ulster Avenue | City of Kingston | 0.5 mi | 155 | 26 | 0 |
| Route 9W at Grant Avenue, Lake Katrine | Town of Ulster | 0.3 mi | 119 | 28 | 0 |
| Broadway (Route 32) around Liberty and Downs Streets | City of Kingston | 0.3 mi | 96 | 23 | 0 |
| Washington Avenue at Hurley Avenue | City of Kingston | 0.2 mi | 89 | 15 | 1 |
| Ulster Avenue near Morton Boulevard | Town of Ulster | 0.4 mi | 88 | 21 | 0 |
| Ulster Avenue at East Chester Street | Town of Ulster | 0.1 mi | 55 | 12 | 0 |
| Albany Avenue (Route 32) at Elmendorf Street | City of Kingston | 0.2 mi | 43 | 11 | 0 |
| Route 9W at Leggs Mills Road, Lake Katrine | Town of Ulster | 0.2 mi | 37 | 13 | 0 |
Source: New York State motor vehicle crash records, 2021–2024, located by NYSDOT reference marker.
Route 9W: the shopping strip
The busiest stretch in the area is the 0.9 miles of Route 9W in the Town of Ulster from Boices Lane north to Route 199, the road to the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. It had 362 crashes in four years, 81 of them with injuries. Farther north in Lake Katrine, Route 9W at Grant Avenue had another 119 crashes in just 0.3 miles.
Ulster Avenue, which runs alongside 9W, adds two more hotspots: near Morton Boulevard (88 crashes) and at East Chester Street (55 crashes at a single spot).
The Kingston Traffic Circle
The Kingston Traffic Circle, where Route 28 meets I-587 and Washington Avenue, is the single worst crash location on the state roads of Ulster, Orange and Dutchess Counties: 145 crashes at one point in four years, about one every ten days. Counting the Washington Avenue approach and Route 28 west to the Thruway, the area around the circle had 333 crashes.
Most of those crashes are low-speed: 39 caused injuries and none were fatal. But for anyone hurt in one, the question of who failed to yield is usually central to the claim.
In the city: Albany Avenue, Broadway and Washington Avenue
Inside the City of Kingston, the worst stretch is Albany Avenue between Flatbush Avenue and Ulster Avenue, with 155 crashes in half a mile. Broadway (Route 32) in Midtown, around Liberty and Downs Streets, had 96 crashes in 0.3 miles, and Washington Avenue at Hurley Avenue had 89 crashes and one fatal crash.
These city stretches are where people on foot get hurt. Four of the Broadway crashes and four of the Albany Avenue crashes involved a pedestrian or cyclist.
The busiest roads
| Road | Crashes in Kingston and the Town of Ulster, 2021–2024 |
|---|---|
| Route 9W | 812 |
| Route 32 | 496 |
| Route 28 | 424 |
| Ulster Avenue | 222 |
| Washington Avenue | 203 |
| Albany Avenue | 166 |
| Route 209 | 121 |
Deaths on these roads
State records show 8 fatal crashes on state roads in Kingston and the Town of Ulster from 2021 through 2024. Federal fatal-crash records (NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System) for all of Ulster County over the same years show Route 9W as the deadliest road in the county, with 10 fatal crashes that killed 11 people. Route 28 and Route 209 each had 5 fatal crashes.
People on foot and on bikes
State records show 51 crashes involving a pedestrian or cyclist on state roads in Kingston and the Town of Ulster: 26 in the city and 25 in the town. Crashes on the city’s other streets, where many people walk, are not included in those numbers.
If you were hit while walking or riding, see our Kingston pedestrian accident lawyers, our Kingston bicycle and e-bike accident lawyers, and the Hudson Valley pedestrian accident statistics.
If you were hurt in a crash in Kingston
- Call 911 and get a police report. The report is the foundation of an injury claim.
- Get medical care the same day. Some injuries don’t hurt right away, and a same-day record ties them to the crash.
- Photograph the scene and get witnesses’ names. Stores along Route 9W and Ulster Avenue often have cameras, but the footage is usually overwritten within days. See how to get video evidence.
- File your no-fault application within 30 days. No-fault pays medical bills and lost wages no matter who caused the crash.
- Talk to a lawyer before you give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement.
If a truck was involved, see our Kingston truck accident lawyers. If you were on a motorcycle, see our Kingston motorcycle accident lawyers.
What happens if your case goes to court
Injury lawsuits from crashes in Kingston and the Town of Ulster are filed in Ulster County Supreme Court in Kingston. In 2024, 287 motor vehicle injury lawsuits were filed there. Among cases that reached a resolution, the median time from filing to disposition was 471 days, about 15 months, and 36% were resolved within a year. For more, see what Ulster County court records show.
Our main office is at 130 North Front Street in Uptown Kingston, a few minutes from the courthouse. If you were hurt in a crash here, a Kingston car accident lawyer can tell you quickly whether you have a claim. We handle every kind of personal injury case in Kingston and across Ulster County.
For crash data across the whole county, see Ulster County car accident statistics, Kingston’s 15 busiest streets, and our map of the most dangerous highways in the Hudson Valley.
On Route 9W in the Town of Ulster, between Boices Lane and Route 199, with 362 crashes from 2021 through 2024. The area around the Kingston Traffic Circle is next, with 333. Inside the City of Kingston, the worst stretch is Albany Avenue between Flatbush Avenue and Ulster Avenue, with 155 crashes.
It has more crashes than any other single location on the state roads of Ulster, Orange and Dutchess Counties: 145 crashes at one point from 2021 through 2024, about one every ten days. Most are low-speed, but 39 crashes in the area around the circle injured someone.
Route 9W. It had 812 crashes in Kingston and the Town of Ulster alone from 2021 through 2024, and federal records show it had more fatal crashes than any other road in Ulster County, with 10 fatal crashes that killed 11 people.
For injury lawsuits in Ulster County Supreme Court, the median time from filing to resolution was 471 days, about 15 months. About 36% of cases were resolved within a year.
Mainetti & Mainetti has represented injured people in Kingston and Ulster County for more than 55 years. Call our Kingston office at (845) 600-0000 for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.