July 7 (UPI) — Carowinds Amusement Park in Charlotte, N.C., said it will replace a cracked support beam on its Fury 325 roller coaster and reopen the ride.
The attraction, which the park touts as “the tallest, fastest, longest, giga coaster in North America,” has been closed since last week, after a paramedic who was visiting the park captured video showing a large crack in the ride’s support structure.
Carowinds released a statement Thursday confirming they had inspected the ride and will replace the damaged structure.
“Since July 1, the park’s maintenance team and representatives from the ride’s manufacturer, Bollinger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc. (B&M), have conducted a thorough inspection of the entire track,” Carowinds said.
“We have performed a battery of tests to identify the cause of the fracture, which appears to have formed along a weld line in the steel column.”
The park said it would replace the damaged column and conduct new tests.
“Working in close coordination with B&M, we are planning to remove and replace the existing support column. The new support column, which is being fabricated by B&M, is expected to be delivered to the park next week,” the company said.
Once the column is swapped, inspectors will use sensors to test the roller coaster and will conduct 500 test runs to measure ride’s performance.
The company said it would add safety procedures to prevent further damage.