Our site has been updated -
http://www.gadvupdates.com/12-20-2005Update1.htmlHere is the official press release from today which includes some neat factoids:
For Immediate Release: December 20, 2005
Six Flags Great Adventure Completes Towering Lift Hill
of Monstrous Wooden Coaster 'El Toro'
JACKSON, N.J. - The construction team at Six Flags Great Adventure today reached an important milestone in the erection of El Toro, an enormous, new wooden roller coaster set to debut this spring at the world's largest regional theme park. After placing the top portion of the 188-foot-tall wooden track support slowly and carefully into position, El Toro now ranks as the second tallest wooden coaster in America, and the third tallest in the world.
The thrill ride, which incorporates the most daring features of the world's best wooden roller coasters combined with the smooth speed of a steel coaster, will be the star of a vibrant, newly-themed area of the park, Plaza del Carnaval. Just around the corner, families with young children will explore exciting, pint-sized adventures in the all-new Bugs Bunny* National Park kids' area, featuring new rides and attractions designed just for them. Both new areas, including monstrous El Toro, are set to open next season.
El Toro's unique design, inspired by the agility and strength of the brave Matadors, features a hybrid design including a classic "out and back" track with four fast-charging drops, multiple highly-banked turns and a beastly "twister" finale. El Toro will also deliver nine "airtime" opportunities, giving riders the highly-sought thrill ride sensation of weightlessness.
Reaching 70 mph, El Toro will also rank among the fastest wooden roller coasters in the world. Its 4,400 feet of mountainous track includes records for second tallest, fastest and longest drop of all wooden coasters in America and features the world's steepest drop on a wooden roller coaster, 76 white-knuckled degrees.
The new Bugs Bunny National Park, and Plaza del Carnaval featuring El Toro, are slated for a spring 2006 opening. Guests can take a virtual ride on El Toro and receive up-to-the-minute news throughout the park's winter construction project on
www.sixflags.com.
El Toro Topping Off Facts:
* El Toro's tallest support section, known as a "bent," is 188 ft. tall, nearly 19 stories
* This 188-foot-tall support is known as "bent 55" of 613 total bents
* Fun facts about bent 55
* 208 boards of lumber
* 192 bolts
* Each bolt measures 24 mm x 440 mm
* 22,500 lbs.
* 34.5 feet wide at the base
* Bent 55 is separated into two sections, a top and a bottom.
* The "topping off" piece is the bent's top section
* Fun facts about bent 55's top section:
* 87.5 ft. tall
* 19.8 ft. wide at the splice
* 56 boards of lumber
* 7,500 lbs., placed on top of a 15,000-lb. base
* The crane lifting bent 55's top portion is 260 ft. tall
* Approximately 10 workers climb bent 55's top portion to secure it to the structure
* Temporary bracing of bent 55's top portion takes approximately 2 to 3 hours
Topic: December 20th Construction Update and Top Off photos (Read 10899 times)
