Carowinds tops new coaster

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CHARLOTTE – Carowinds construction crews on Thursday installed the final piece of the 325-foot lift hill on the new Fury 325 – the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster. After finishing work on the hill, which stands 20 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, construction workers placed a Christmas tree at the peak.

“When Fury 325 opens this spring, Carowinds will have two of the 10 tallest rollercoasters in North America and we’ll have a total of 14 roller coasters, which is something that only several parks in the world can top,” said Mike Fehnel, Carowinds’ vice president and general manager. “The only thing as thrilling as the rides is the amazing construction story that’s currently unfolding.”

Construction required:

• 400 trucks to haul the pieces for Fury 325 to Carowinds.
• 33 trucks for the equipment to build the 350-foot crane that’s erecting the lift hill.
• 140 tons to counter-balance the crane.

Riders will begin an ascent that takes 63 seconds to climb, then plunge down an 81-degree drop, reaching speeds of up to 95 mph as they race through a series of hills, curves and quick transitions. All told, it will take each of the three, 32-passenger open air trains nearly 3 minutes and 25 seconds to complete the 6,602-foot ride.

The new ride will be visible from uptown Charlotte. Fury 325 is part of a planned $50 million multiyear investment, including new rides, attractions and food from different regions. Fury 325 will be the centerpiece of a new, 8.2-acre main entrance plaza that includes more than 900 parking spaces closer to the gate, upgrades to improve traffic flow and expanded guest service facilities.

Carowinds is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. of Sandusky, Ohio, which owns and operates ten other amusement parks, three water parks, one indoor water park, and five hotels.

Here is a time-lapse video of the construction: