Documents Reveal A New Coaster Could Be Coming To Busch Gardens Williamsburg
A lot has been brewing over the past few months at Busch Gardens Williamsburg about a possible additions to the park. Back in May of 2017, Busch Gardens Williamsburg did the infamous, “balloon test.” This is where a park will send a balloon to the height of a coming attraction or event such as fireworks. It’s a line of sight test in order to see if passerby’s can see it, and to put into perspective the actual height of the new attraction. Since then, super fans have been keeping their eye out for updates. Unfortunately, the paper trail for the “Madrid expansion” ran cold, and fans were left wondering what was happening at Busch Gardens.
After last years discovery of the Madrid project, (a possible giga-coaster coming to Busch Gardens Williamsburg that can be seen here), we have even more news!
A height waver has officially been filed to build a new 90 foot tall structure near the Ireland section of the park. According to documents, the site will be situated between the Ireland section and Griffon calling the project “Ireland Expansion”.
Furthermore, unlike the unrealized “Madrid” project, this project has a larger paper trail making it more likely to happen. Paperwork filed on the Va811 website provides some rather tantalizing clues of a new attraction.
The potential work site encompasses a total area of 1.5 acres. The area is highlighted in blue in the provided diagram below.
The document lists the work being done around the site as “Soil Boring and Testing”. This is a rather fascinating revelation for several reasons. First, soil boring is a test used to determine the composition of the soils in the area in question. This is critical, as through determining the composition of the soil, one can determine if the soil is able to withstand a substantial load across a wide area. To put it in layman’s terms, the test is to see if the ground can support the support structure for the new project.
From that definition alone, one has to assume that the 90 foot tall structure has to be the cause of the loads requiring the soil boring and testing. However, the fact that the loads applied would be spread out over 1.5 acres indicates that this project could potentially be a roller coaster.
If it is a roller coaster, the presence of terrain will add to the overall height of the project. There is a 52 foot height difference between maximum elevation and the elevation of the lake. Considering the 90 foot height waiver is from the point of maximum elevation, the height of the new coaster could be in excess of 140 feet, which would make it the fifth tallest coaster in the park.
Recently, SeaWorlds Park & Entertainment filed trademarks for Uproar, Tigris, and Twisted Tiger. It seems likely that one of these names could be used for the project at BGW, with the other being used for the Tanganyika Tidal Wave replacement project for the Tampa park.
This comes hot off the heals of a “semi-confirmed” addition of a Sesame Place park in Virginia that can be seen here.
We’re excited for SeaWorld Entertainment to be planning for more investments in Virginia. But, remember, this is still a “potential project” that still could never see the light of day. However, with all the paperwork completed, it does seem promising. Either way, this does reveal exciting news that big things are planned for Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
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