Traffic flow smooths out as thousands roll into Darlington for bike rally

Law enforcement in Florence and Darlington counties reported traffic backups early Wednesday morning as thousands of bikers rolled into the Pee Dee for the 38th annual National Biker’s Roundup at the Darlington Dragway.

South Carolina Highway Patrol Cpl. Sonny Collins said traffic later had begun to flow smoothly, but thousands more riders are expected to make their way into town as the weekend approaches.

“Right now everything is looking good. Once the initial crowd got in, after the gates opened, everything evened out,” Collins said. “Bikers have been trickling in all day and that will continue into the weekend.”

Event organizers expect the event to draw at least 20,000 people over the weekend. Collins said traffic congestion around the dragway is expected but long delays are not.

“It should continue to go smoothly, even with more bikers coming in over the next few days,” he said. “As more people come in, the area around the drag strip will get more congested but we anticipate smooth flow. There haven’t been any wrecks with injuries so far and we hope to keep it that way throughout the rally.”

The roundup will started Wednesday morning and will continue through Sunday evening.