ITAC Keeps Kings Dominion’s New Giga Coaster on Track
"It's billed as the "Biggest, Baddest and Meanest" coaster around - and Industrial TurnAround Corporation was there for every twisty turn of the way.
This spring, Kings Dominion unveiled the new Intimidator 305. This mammoth 5,100-foot-long behemoth is only the second giga coaster ever built in North America, and the tallest and fastest roller coaster of its type on the East Coast.
The Intimidator 305 takes its name from one of NASCAR's most beloved figures, the late Dale Earnhardt. It honors the speed and intensity the man known on the track as "The Intimidator."
On this new ride, signature black cars roar through six airtime humps, plus three high-speed turns. They descend 300 feet at an 85-degree angle and thunder along at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour during a three-minute race to the finish.
For Industrial TurnAround Corporation (ITAC), it was also a race to the finish. The company, which had completed several smaller jobs for Kings Dominion in the past, was named last fall as MEP Engineering and Electrical Construction company of record. In addition, ITAC provided Fall Protection services to ensure safety on a lift hill that stands 305 feet at its highest peak.
It was a true cross-disciplinary approach involving many departments within ITAC. All were working together toward one goal – get the coaster ready before April 1, 2010.
“We had a hard deadline,” said Bruce Shannon, VP of Construction, Industrial and Design/Build Services for ITAC. “April 1, 2010 was ‘Media Day,’ when the roller coaster would be unveiled to the press. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Teresa Earnhardt were going to be there, so this thing had to be done.”
Of course, there was one thing no amount of ITAC expertise or exhaustive
pre-planning could control — the weather.
The area north of Richmond where Kings Dominion is located experienced epic snowfalls in the winter of 2010.
“We couldn’t have asked for a worse winter to build a roller coaster,” said Shannon. “We battled snow and rain all winter long while doing the electrical construction work, but we came together and made the deadline.”
Which just proves the point that when ITAC is along for the ride, you can count on them getting the job done on time.