Six Flags Great America set to abandon Chang plans in favor of water park expansion?
Submitted by Nick Sim on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 20:16
Chang may not be on its way to Six Flags Great America after all. Image: Pccromeo, Wikimedia Commons (license)
Reports suggest that Six Flags Great America is set to abandon plans to install Kentucky Kingdom's former Chang rollercoaster, in favor of an expansion to the Hurricane Harbor water park.
Screamscape reports that the decision may have been taken by Six Flags' new board, with CEO Mark Shapiro having recently been replaced by Al Weber. The latest rumors suggest that the stand-up rollercoaster will instead be moved to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, replacing the existing Great American Scream Machine coaster.
The move comes shortly after the the Six Flags Great America received approval from the Gurnee Zoning Board of Appeals to install the 154-feet-tall rollercoaster. Screamscape claims that alternative plans are now being drawn up to add new attractions to Hurricane Harbor instead, located in the same area of the park (on the site of the former Space Shuttle America attraction).
If true, the rumors will not surprise many observers. The decision to move Chang to Six Flags Great America had been questioned, with the park already being home to a B&M stand-up coaster - Iron Wolf, which opened in 1990. Six Flags Great Adventure, meanwhile, has been without a stand-up coaster since the removal of Shockwave in 1992.
Chang set several world records when it opened in 1997. At the time it was the tallest, fastest and longest stand-up coaster in the world - reaching 65mph and over 4000 feet in length.
The coaster was removed from Kentucky Kingdom shortly before Six Flags closed the park in January this year. Kentucky's State Fair Board has since sued Six Flags for fraud, after it originally claimed that it had removed Chang to make way for an expansion to Kentucky Kingdom's water park.
You can keep up to date with the latest confirmed and rumored opening dates for new attractions through Theme Park Tourist's "New Attraction Watch" section, and by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
Related categories:
Source: Screamscape
0 comments on "Six Flags Great America set to abandon Chang plans in favor of water park expansion?" so far. Why not add yours?
