Landmark moment reached in £16.25m new Pleasure Beach ride project

Pleasure Beach bosses are celebrating a significant milestone in the construction of the park's new £16.25m rollercoaster
The new ride will sweep around existing attractions including the Big OneThe new ride will sweep around existing attractions including the Big One
The new ride will sweep around existing attractions including the Big One

As the fun park prepares to open its gates daily for a new season of fun and thrills more than 80 per cent of work on the foundations of the ride, known as Construction 2018 are in place.The process has seen more that 5500 tonnes of soil excavated since the start of work, and more than 8,000 metres of pre-cast concrete piles and steel tubes driven up to 12 metres into the ground. Visitors to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which opens daily from Saturday will be able to see first-hand, work on the impressive new ride in progress. A total of 282 ‘caps’, black concrete cylinders measuring up to 1.2 metres in height, mark the spot of the main pilings, providing a hint of the path the double launch coaster will take through the park, snaking around the existing rides.

Upon completion, the roller coaster will feature 15 interactions with other attractions– more than any other rollercoaster in the work Blackpool Pleasure Beach Technical Director, Alex Payne, said: “We’re really pleased with progress to date. On a project of this scale there are numerous opportunities for challenges to arise. Five years’ meticulous planning and advancements in technology have however enabled us to plan everything down to the millimeter, enabling us to know exactly where everything is and reducing the risk of set-backs. “Work on the foundations is very near to completion. Our focus will then move to phase two, putting processes in place for essential enabling works – introducing electricity and air supplies, and building the sub-station.“Upon completion the rollercoaster will be one of the most thrilling in the world.”Set to reach heights of 88.5ft, with drops of up to 82ft the double launch will propel riders at high speed, not only at the start of the ride but also at a second point half way through the two and a half minute experience.

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Users will experience the same levels of acceleration as felt by the driver of a Formula 1 car. Deputy Managing Director, Nick Thompson, who has led the construction project said: “It is so exciting to watch the plans for Construction 2018 take shape. The caps dotted around the park are evidence of the intense design and engineering process and we’re looking forward to sharing the progress with park goers.”Managing Director, Amanda Thompson OBE, said:,= “Construction 2018 is an invaluable investment, not only for Blackpool Pleasure Beach, but for the region as a whole, as we expect thrill seekers to flock to the park to experience this cutting-edge UK ride first.”The ride is being manufactured by Mack Rides at their world-class factory in Waldkirch, Germany. It will open in spring next year.

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