Letzte Bearbeitung am 23-Mai-07 um 14:06 Uhr ()
Story last updated at 1:34 a.m. Monday, May 21, 2007
Roller coaster project faced with ups, downs
Robin Briscoe
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

The owner of Joyland is optimistic the former Greezed Lightin' will be ready to ride by next summer - a year later than expected.

Joyland purchased the 138-foot tall, shuttle-loop roller coaster from Six Flags Astroworld in Houston a little more than a year ago.

The ride was expected to be up and running by this summer, but construction has yet to start.

"The soil is very wet, especially this year, so we have had to put it on hold," said David Dean, the park's owner.
Wet soil is unstable, and it would be incapable of withstanding the pressure the large ride would exert on it.

The foundation has to be strong enough to support about 4,000 pounds per square foot, Dean said. Without a stable foundation, the ride could shift.

"Safety becomes paramount on a project like this," he said.

Recent soil tests revealed there is water about four feet below the surface.

"We didn't know it was that wet, that deep," Dean said, blaming a nearby creek and an exceptionally rainy season. Rainfall this year is nearly triple the average amount, according to the National Weather Service.

Ideally, the contractors could drill the nearly 90 piers that support the ride a few feet into the ground. But since the soil is unstable, they will have to drill until they hit stable soil - which could be between 15 and 25 feet, Dean said.

That presents another problem for park officials - it won't work to just drill through the water because the piers would be damaged in the process. They need to be protected in some way so that the water does not leach into them and dilute the concrete.

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The former Greezed Lightnin'
• What: steel-tracked, shuttle-loop roller coaster.

• Length: 849 feet.

• Height: 138 feet.

• Speed: 60 mph.

• Descent angle: 70 degrees.

• Duration: 33 seconds.Source: Joyland Amusement Park Time line

• Original completion date: Summer 2007.

• New completion date: Summer 2008.

Source: Joyland Amusement Park owner, David Dean

Pictured is the area where the roller coaster, formerly known as Greezed Lightnin', will be reconstructed at Joyland Amusement Park. The roller coaster measures 849 feet long, 138 feet tall and the loop is 72 feet tall. It accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. It is expected to be finished next summer.

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Dean said the project can still be completed - it will just take longer and cost more than expected.

Park officials have been talking with engineers from Lubbock and Dallas on how to deal with the problem.

Dean said there are four methods that he is aware of to achieve the job, ranging from protecting the piers with casings to using a floating foundation, which involves placing a long strip of concrete across the ground.

"We're still looking at options," he said. "We anticipate being able to overcome this."

But an alternative method won't be cheap.

Dean said he was expecting to spend $900,000 to install in Lubbock the roller coaster he bought for $100,000.

Now, the ride could cost $1.5 million total.

The amusement park owner did get a break from the city on the land Joyland will need to expand.

Last October, the Lubbock City Council approved giving Joyland about half an acre of city-owned park space for the roller coaster. The city also fronted the cost of removing a playground from that area, allowing the amusement park to pay it back over a 15-year period with zero interest.

That cost: $2,000.

Rebuilding the playground at another location would cost about $48,000, but it hasn't been rebuilt, said Randy Truesdell, community services director with the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

He said the city has no qualms about the project delay, noting that not having that playground does not affect residents because there are other playgrounds in Mackenzie Park.

"I just look forward to him getting it built," Truesdell said.

Construction could start sometime this fall, possibly as soon as August, Dean said. Then it will take another nine months to install the roller coaster.

Source: Lubbock Online (reg. req.)

Gruß
Marcel
Aus Liebe zum Spiel wird alles super.