A proposed roller coaster in Orlando, Fla., will be the world’s tallest roller coaster, its developers say.
The Skyscraper at SKYPLEX is set to open in 2016 near the soon-to-open Orlando Eye, a 425-foot-tall ferris wheel. The $200 million SKYPLEX will comprise approximately 495,000 square feet located on 12 prime acres along famed International Drive (also known as “I Drive”); a groundbreaking is set for next year.
“Next to our theme parks, International Drive is one of the most recognized icons of Orlando,” Visit Orlando president and CEO George Aguel said in a news release. “It’s exciting for our tourism community to see this type of investment being made to continuously raise the bar on the dining and entertainment experiences we offer across our destination.”
The 570-foot-tall Skyscraper will feature the first Polercoaster built. This mega-thrill ride is a vertical roller coaster created with coaster-length tracks featuring “all the other thrilling mayhem” of a great coaster experience, but “in a very small footprint,” according to Michael Kitchen, president of US Thrill Rides, the Orlando-based company that created the ride.