The latest incarnation of Kentucky Kingdom's gut-wrenching suspension roller coaster, T3, is set to open just in time for the holiday weekend.
With more than $2 million in renovations to the trains and the track of the old T2, the new T3 is an entirely different coaster, allowing the rider to comfortably experience every twist and turn of the 2,260 foot steel track. The T3 was designed to be as smooth as possible for riders as they fly through the five inversions and loops.
"You're sitting comfortably, your hanging loose, but still secure — it's really just an exhilarating ride from start to finish," said John Mulcahy, communications and marketing director for Kentucky Kingdom.
Mulcahy credits the replacement of restrictive overhead bars with offering a more comfortable experience for riders as they are suspended over the bright red track.
The new roller coaster begins with a 110-foot climb to the top of the lift hill before dropping riders into a flurry of loops, spins and quick turns. T3 reaches speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour and has a run time of about two minutes.
The T3 roller coaster, dubbed "The Next Generation of Terror," replaces the T2 suspension coaster first built in 1995. It is the eighth new attraction Kentucky Kingdom has unveiled in 2015.
Mulcahy said the new attractions and improvements have breathed new life into the park that first opened in Louisville in 1987.
Kentucky Kingdom has seen growth in the number of out of town visitors deciding to purchase two-day passes for the park, he said. For locals, the theme park is hoping the new attractions will be one more reason to make Kentucky Kingdom a hometown favorite.
"All of this is part of an effort to bring back some of the attractions that made us one of the most thrilling parks in the country," Mulcahy said. "People are seeing that you don't need to travel far to go to a great park anymore."
T3: The Next Generation of Fear, has recently been nominated as one of the Ten Best New Amusement Park Attractions in a USA Today Reader Poll.
You can vote for your top pick once per day until voting ends on July 6 at noon.