SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The vehicle traffic has hit 300,000 for the 2022 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to the South Dakota Department of Transportation.
The vehicle count for Tuesday, Aug. 9, was 58,610 down from last year’s 60,626.
The five-day total count is 300,386 vehicles. That’s about 13,000 less than the 313,363 vehicles counted in 2021. It’s also about 30,000 more than 270,488 counted in 2020.
The five-year average through five days is 284,819 vehicles.
The S.D. DOT counts traffic at nine locations entering Sturgis.
On the first day, Friday, the count was 56,855 The count increased on Saturday to 62,199. The count on Sunday was 60,672 and 62,050 on Monday.
The city of Sturgis uses traffic counts, tons of garbage collected and photo analysis to estimate rally attendance each year. The S.D. DOT’s traffic counts are usually close to the city’s estimated crowd size.