Santa Clarita Identifies Its Busiest Intersections and Highest Crash Rates

Santa Clarita’s busiest intersection and its highest reported crash-rate location are not the same place, according to traffic and collision data recently reported by the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

The report, published July 24, 2026, described findings from a March 2026 traffic count and collision data from the preceding year. The figures provide a snapshot of where vehicles are concentrated and how reported crashes compare after being adjusted for traffic volume.

Newhall Ranch and Bouquet carried the most traffic

Newhall Ranch Road and Bouquet Canyon Road had the highest traffic volume among the busy intersections listed. A March count recorded approximately 113,400 vehicles over 24 hours.

That figure represents vehicles counted during a 24-hour period at the intersection. It is different from the estimated daily vehicle-trip figure used to calculate crash rates at other locations.

Mark Hunter, a city transportation planning analyst, told the Signal that changes of roughly 5% to 10% in a 24-hour count can result from events, emergencies, construction or other conditions affecting nearby roads. The city takes traffic counts between Tuesday and Thursday to reduce the effect of some of those variables.

Bouquet Junction had the highest reported rate

Soledad Canyon Road and Bouquet Canyon Road, commonly called Bouquet Junction, ranked second in traffic volume but had the highest reported crash rate among the busiest intersections covered in the report.

The location had 13 reported crashes and an estimated 91,700 daily vehicle trips. Those figures produced a reported rate of 0.47 crashes per million vehicles entering the intersection.

The rate is a normalized measure. It is not the same as the raw crash count, and it does not mean that 0.47 crashes occurred on a typical day. Adjusting for traffic volume helps provide a more comparable measure between intersections with different numbers of vehicles.

Below the benchmark cited by city staff

City transportation staff said Bouquet Junction’s reported rate remained below the 0.55 benchmark cited for a standard suburban four-legged signalized intersection. That comparison does not make the intersection risk-free, and the 0.55 figure should not be treated as a universal legal threshold or statewide standard.

The available reporting also does not establish that every crash was severe, injury-related or preventable. It describes reported collisions during the period reviewed and the methodology used to compare locations.

Possible evaluations are not an approved project

City staff said recurring collision patterns may lead to evaluations of signal timing, roadway improvements, signs, striping or other safety measures. No specific new redesign, signal change or construction project was approved in the sources available for this article.

Santa Clarita’s official traffic-safety materials say the city’s overall collision rate declined 36% between 2016 and 2024, while the injury-collision rate declined 56%, according to city traffic engineers. The city also emphasizes caution for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists at intersections and other points where road users interact.

The city’s 2024 notices of completion separately list the Newhall Ranch Road and Bouquet Canyon Road Intersection Improvements as a completed project. That is prior infrastructure context, not evidence of a new response to the 2026 traffic data.

For residents and commuters, the main takeaway is that traffic volume and crash rate measure different things. Newhall Ranch Road and Bouquet Canyon Road carried the most traffic in the listed count, while Bouquet Junction had the highest reported normalized rate. Any future city action would require additional evaluation and a formal decision.

Sources

• Santa Clarita Valley Signal report, “City shares crash rates for busiest intersections”
• City of Santa Clarita, “Safety Behind the Wheel”