Sunday, December 29, 2019

Progress Slowed on Six Flags' First License Branded Park as Investor Faces Financial Crisis


© Six Flags China
Six Flags first licensed park outside the U.S. is scheduled to open next year, but suddenly that seems in doubt.  Six Flags Haiyan (located in Zhejiang) will also feature a Hurricane Harbor water park, along with a planned Six Flags Kids World and Six Flags Adventure Park - yes four parks in all when completed.

The park had some major construction started, an in fact many of the water slides for the Hurricane Harbor water park are already standing (below photos direct from Six Flags China).  However, in recent months nothing has been happening at the site.

© Six Flags China
According to this post at the ThemeParx Construction Board, the park's developer Riverside Investment Group Co. Ltd. has gone through some major business woes, including laying the vast majority of its staff off and facing many lawsuits from vendors who have not been paid.  That's not a good sign for any company, especially one that's supposed to have plenty of money to build several theme parks.

© Six Flags China
That post also links to a Chinese news website that did a report on the project, and actually visited the site to see what was going on.  Which was nothing, it was largely deserted with no actual construction going on and weeds coming up around the standing water slides.  Whether the park is delayed, cancelled or more likely no one (including Riverside) knows for sure at this point in time, remains to be seen.

This is pretty bad news for Six Flags Entertainment, which has seen the investor community bank a lot of their future growth on these franchised parks overseas.  First Six Flags Dubai was cancelled, and now the China parks are in (seemingly) in jeopardy.  Perhaps at least in the case of the China parks another developer can swoop in and finish the parks if Riverside can't?


Saturday, December 28, 2019

Interesting Story Points to Persistent Troubles in SEAS' Corporate Waters







The parks appear to be doing better than they have in many years, but it appears as though the bumpy waters for the corporate level of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment have not calmed.  Though, perhaps they are moving into a less tumultuous phase in current days, with their latest CEO, Sergio Rivera, now at the helm.  He's only been in place for a few months, so it's a bit too early to tell on that front.

This latest story from Orlando Weekly doesn't necessarily present any new news, however it does nicely chronicle the ups and down of the company's recent years.  That includes not only the revolving door of CEOs, the loss of many super-experienced senior employees, but also the persistent rumors that the company will eventually be sold, taken private, or some combination of both.

© SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
The author, Ken Storey, really did their research for the piece, and links to dozens of other stories to tell their tale.  While blogs like this one are only able to pop in on certain big news items, this story really helps show how it seems like SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment have been headed toward a sale or merger for quite some time now.

But, if you make it to the end of Ken's article, the popular rumor of Parques Reunidos purchasing the company seems to have cooled since Parques was just very recently bought and turned into a private company.  One thing seems for sure though, the majority stock holders of SEAS are definitely not going to turn their backs on what feels like an agenda to make a mint through some type of large transaction.  Exactly what that will be, only time will tell.  For now, enjoy all the attendance lifting new roller coasters!


Thursday, December 26, 2019

Cedar Fair Donates Land Near Cedar Point for Landing Park + Waterfront Pathway


© City of Sandusky
Cedar Fair recently donated about 25 acres of land to the City Of Sandusky for them to work on a long-term plan to build Landing Park and a 13-mile waterfront recreational route.  The bulk of the land is located just behind the Cedar Point Sports Center along the waterfront.

The plan is for the City to use the land to develop Landing Park along with an extensive outdoor trail/path that would extend for miles along the shore.

© City of Sandusky
These images show some of what is planned for Landing Park, which would facilitate recreational activities both on land and in the water.  The pathway would connect parts of Sandusky that are now separated by water, allowing visitors to explore the area in a natural setting.

The plan first was heard about a couple years ago, and depended entirely on the donation of the land.  As progress has been made on planning the development, Cedar Fair held their end of the bargain and donated the land (and also received some tax benefits for the Sports Center as well).

© City of Sandusky
Since the project still needs a lot of funding it is not planned to be done until 2029, and will come with a sizable $24 million price tag.

With Cedar Point's evolution as a major destination resort still underway, projects like this one that will be born from the land donation will prove invaluable to the park.  While not a direct driver of guests into the park, it will make the area even more attractive to vacationers, offering another amenity to the area.  So really win win for both the City and the park.


Monday, December 23, 2019

SeaWorld San Antonio's Texas Stingray Wooden Coaster Makes First Run


© SeaWorld San Antonio
Exciting early Christmas present for SeaWorld San Antonio!  The park's new for 2020 wooden roller coaster, the Texas Stingray, has completed its first test run!

The custom designed Great Coasters International ride will be a thrilling addition for riders in 2020, but the park is so far ahead on construction that it has already started to test before the end of 2019.  The Texas Stingray stands 96 feet tall, features a 100 foot first drop and 3,379 feet of twisting track.  The ride has several tall curves and hills toward the start of the ride, with a low to the ground finish including a tunnel.

The park has released footage from the test run, which includes both on-ride and off-ride clips.  I love the speed of the ride, even when it is near the end of the course.  Check it out below!


Sunday, December 22, 2019

Blackpool Pleasure Beach to Close Valhalla for 2020 Season for Major Refurbishment


© Blackpool Pleasure Beach
England's Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced that they will be closing their iconic water flume ride, Valhalla, for the 2020 season in order to complete a total refurbishment.  Details as to exactly what they have planned are slim, with the park only saying it will be given a "reimagining during the 2020 season."

Valhalla is planned to reopen in 2021 in time for the park's grand 125th anniversary year.

Fans of the ride should be please as Valhalla has been known to have many of its fantastic effects not working in recent years, having opened in 2000.  One has to wonder if these exact effects will return in 2021 or if the "reimagining" will include brand new replacement effects.  Either way it is nice to see the park decide to double down on the ride, which is massive and I'd assume expense to operate, instead of retiring it.

If you haven't had the pleasure of checking out Valhalla, here is an unofficial on ride movie of the experience from a few years ago when more of the effects were working.  The fire at the end is super intense and I hope that's not changed during the renovations!



Saturday, December 21, 2019

West Edmonton Mall Changing Galaxyland to New Hasbro Theme


© Galaxyland
Galaxyland amusement park, located within the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, has announced that it will embark on a year long process of retheming to Hasbro licensed intellectual properties.  The park opened in 1983 as an amenity to the largest mall in North America, and carries an outer space theme... hence the name Galaxyland.

The partnership with Hasbro will see all their properties spread out in the park through attraction renames along with food and beverage, retail and other incorporations.  Hasbro will be bringing licenses such as My Little Pony, Nerf, G.I. Joe, Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh and a ton of board games like Monopoly, Operation and Battleship.

© Galaxyland
This is the park's current map, which shows that things are pretty heavily themed to outer space throughout the park.  It's not totally clear if the outer space theme will be totally removed, or if Hasbro properties will be incorporated into the existing theme.  So My Little Ponies in outer space, Mr. Potato Head in outer space, G.I. Joe in outer space... well you get the drift.  The completion of the retheming is scheduled for winter 2020 when the park will officially named Galaxyland Powered by Hasbro.

Galaxyland is well known for Mindbender, a classic 3 loop Schwarzkopf coaster and in more recent years has built Galaxy Orbiter, a spinning coaster from Gerstlauer.


Thursday, December 19, 2019

Dorney Park Holding Monster Jam Silent Auction to Benefit Dream Come True


© Dorney Park
Dorney Park has cooked up a special online silent auction to end the year, featuring a ton of unique Monster Jam themed items and benefiting Dream Come True.

The park explains their efforts in a recent blog post, available here, to set up an auction of special memorabilia they collected this past fall when Monster Jam: Thunder Alley was taking place at the park.  While the event will not return to the park in 2020 (it will be moving on to other Cedar Fair parks next year), they still wanted to find a unique way to help out a great charity by unloading some one-of-a-kind items.

© Dorney Park
Fans of Monster Jam can browse the online silent auction page to view all the unique items.  The park mentions that the variety of items include "Megalodon’s TAIL from a competition truck, autographed replica racing helmets, autographed fitted baseball caps, to autographed photo cards and more."  Many of the items are signed by well known Monster Jam drivers making them even more unique.  There are items that are starting off with smaller bids, with other items, like the pieces of famous Monster Jam trucks, are starting at a higher price point.

The auction will benefit Dream Come True, a charity local to the park that "fulfills the dreams of children who are seriously, chronically or terminally ill and reside in the Greater Lehigh Valley, PA area."  The auction will run through 12 pm on December 24th, so head over and check out the listings now!


Tuesday, December 17, 2019

SeaWorld San Diego to Build Another Roller Coaster for 2021?


© SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego may currently be working on a brand new dive coaster, Emperor, for their 2020 season, but plans have emerged that show yet another major roller coaster will be headed to the park in 2021.

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is on quite a roller coaster building spree it seems, with nearly all their major parks receiving one in 2020 and now hints of more coasters planned for the following season.

Up top is one of the park's images of their simulator attraction, Wild Arctic, which appears to be biting the dust in order to build the ride for 2021.  These simulator rides were a staple of the SeaWorld parks in the 1990s, but are really showing their age in 2019... making it not all that surprising that the San Diego park would want to replace theirs.  Especially with an exiting and highly marketable roller coaster!

© Google Maps
The news of the new ride comes from Behind The Thrills, which published a large article on the plans of the attraction.  You can read the entire story via this link, but to cut to the chase the ride will be a low to the ground launched ride similar to Wave Breaker at SeaWorld San Antonio.

The ride will start in the space that the simulators occupy now, in the blue roof building in the above aerial image.  It will launch out into what is currently some of the parking lot, featuring a ton of twists and turns and a maximum height of 30 feet.  The ride's layout looks to feature not just a couple launch sections, but a total of four!  Aimed at families the ride would not be super-high thrill, but definitely an exciting addition nonetheless.

Make sure to check out Behind The Thrills' article for a ton more information and a look at the proposed ride layout!

With Busch Gardens Williamsburg also highly rumored to be adding another coaster in 2021, could we see the trend continue and see even more SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment properties go for thrills in back to back years?  Perhaps!


Saturday, December 14, 2019

SeaWorld San Diego Tops Off New B&M Dive Coaster - Emperor


© SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego is hard at work building another new roller coaster for 2020, this time around a custom layout B&M Dive Coaster named Emperor.  Site clearing took place earlier in the fall, and recently track and supports started to go up.

The park has now topped off the ride, which stands 153 feet tall:

© SeaWorld San Diego
As with the park's other roller coasters, Emperor utilizes a color scheme that helps it to blend into the park's surroundings, a combination of teal and blue.  The new coaster will taken riders down a vertical 143 foot drop to hit a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour.

The ride's layout includes three inversions, an Immelmann, barrel roll and corkscrew.  In total the coaster will have around 2,500 feet of track when completed.  The ride's theming is linked to the "Emperor penguins’ journey from chilly, frosted cliffs to their deep dive into the depths of the ocean."

Here is some additional footage of the ride being topped off from the park via Theme Park Insider:


Thursday, December 12, 2019

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Opens to Rave Reviews at Disney's Hollywood Studios


© Disney
Disney's Hollywood Studios, a part of Disney World in Florida, has officially opened their blockbuster new dark ride, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.  The trackless attraction is already heading to the top of many park fans favorite ride list, and after watching many spoiler videos of it we can understand why.

The last major component (for now) of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge themed area at Disney's Hollywood Studios, it goes without saving that Disney has saved the best for last.  The rest of the area opened a couple months ago and while the immersive land is heaven on Earth for fans of Star Wars, the latest ride is the cherry on top.

Rise of the Resistance is an amazing trackless dark ride, like we've seen Disney do in the past (mostly overseas), but there's a whole lot more to it than just that.  I don't want to force spoilers onto anyone, so we'll leave it at that, but between tons of special effects, elevation changes, animatronics, projections, simulations and more, the ride checks all the boxes as one of the best around.

And it is drawing the crowds to prove it.  Disney is using a virtual queue via phone app that allows guests to check in as soon as the park opens, then know when they can ride later in the day.  And the ride reservations are 'selling out' within an hour of the park opening on a daily basis.

The attraction's opening in Florida will be joined in California at Disneyland on January 17th, 2020.

If you can't make it to either park, below is one of the best on-ride videos I've seen as it gives nice perspective of the inside of the ride.  Check it out only if you do not want to be surprised the first time you ride!


Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Cedar Point Details a Plethora of Additions and Changes for 150th Anniversary in 2020


© Cedar Point
Today was Cedar Point's big announcement of many of the attractions and additions they have planned for 2020, which is the park's 150th anniversary.  Today also marks 150 days left until the park opens for the 2020 season, a fitting day to make all these announcements.

And there were a ton!  The park has a massive amount of things going on to celebrate the park's 150th, they're really pulling out all the stops.

Up top is concept art for the park's new ride for 2020, a relaxing journey named Snake River Expedition.  The boats will once again return to the waterways of the park, though the central lagoon is now known as Snake River.  The custom designed boats will take passengers on a journey that features a full story-line, with Trapper Dan needing help to smuggle some precious cargo.  There will be live actors, special effects and more along the route, which is scheduled to open on May 9th, 2020.

© Cedar Point
Cedar Point is also going to debut Celebrate 150 Spectacular, which is both a parade, nighttime extravaganza and street party - running each night June 12th through August 16th.  The park seems to be taking the success of the chain's Grand Carnivale, which features similar elements, and bumping it up a notch.

There will be 12 custom floats - some rather gigantic as seen above - that will honor pivotal aspects of Cedar Point's history.  The parade comes with more than 100 performers and an original score.  The end of the parade marks the street party which will feature "performances, dancing, pyrotechnics and music throughout the night."

© Cedar Point
Everyone has been wondering what will go inside the former Town Hall Museum, which will be known as just Town Hall in 2020.  The inside has been totally cleaned out and will now feature an interactive timeline of the park's history.  The concept art above shows what some of the inside will look like, much more vibrant and modern.  The park says it will feature "rotating artifacts and displays that feature ride logo development and blueprints, concept renderings, scale models, breathtaking photography and more."  Sounds like a great place to explore and a wonderful addition to celebrate the long history of the park.

© Cedar Point
There will be many changes in food and beverage offerings for the park's 150th anniversary celebration.  Here we have a drawing of French Quarter Confections, a brand new building going up at the front of the park, replacing the existing Sweets stand an Bayou refreshments.  It will offer items such as fudge, funnel cakes, cotton candy and new waffles on a stick.  It will even have a chocolate fountain!

The park is also bringing back the original juice slush containers, the ones shaped like the fruit they are flavored as.  They will be available at the the C.P. Juice Co. near the Scrambler.

© Cedar Point
Located along the main midway, the popular Corral restaurant will be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.  Featuring two inside serving areas, the new restaurant will allow for faster service.  The menu will feature "hand-breaded chicken tenders, gourmet pizza with a focaccia crust, cheddar cheese, jalapeno or classic hot-dog-on-a-stick and the famous mozzarella cheese-on-a-stick."

The Mac Shack, featuring everyone's favorite comfort food mac & cheese bowls, will also be added near Toft's ice cream.

© Cedar Point
A new promotion the park is holding will offer guests a Ticket Of A Lifetime, should be they lucky enough to win.  During the season there will be 150 of these tickets given out, and each one grants the holder free entrance to the park for their life.  Plus, they get to award the same to three of their friends!  People can win from in park events, but also during online events and more - all starting in February (with more details on the way soon).

Those are a lot of changes, but there is even more planned!  The park's retail division is stepping up with a ton of exclusive merchandise (many limited edition and collectible) for the 150th.  The Pagoda Gift Shop will be renamed Celebration Central and feature all the goods in one central place.  The park is also starting button trading, with unique buttons being released each week - the only way to get the is the trade with employees!

© Cedar Point
Fans of the park may also make a permanent impression on it by purchasing a customizable brick that will be placed on the main midway as part of Legacy Walk.  Sales will start soon, and space is limited so everyone expects these to go fast!

That's a ton of stuff, but really there is even more we didn't cover here!  To read more details check out the park's blog post on the announcements, and be sure to watch the video below from the live stream announcement!



Sunday, December 8, 2019

Six Flags Great Adventure's Polar Coaster Challenge a Chilly Success


© Six Flags Great Adventure
Yesterday was the first Polar Coaster Challenge that Six Flags Great Adventure has held, and the event was a smash success with more than 300 participants coming to the park from 9 different states and even Canada.

Seen in the photo above, the park offered coaster fans a chance to ride Nitro, which hits 80 miles per hour, in only a t-shirt and shorts on a chilly December day.  Thankfully at least the sun was out!

© Six Flags Great Adventure
The event was held to benefit Special Olympics New Jersey, and in the end 348 guests took their chilly ride - some more than once!  The guests ranged in age from only 8 all the way up to 65, I guess that a wide variety of folks like to freeze their buns off on coasters for a good cause!  Make sure to look some of the riders faces in the larger version of these photos, they're pretty hilarious!

© Six Flags Great Adventure
Here's a group shot of many of those who survived the Polar Coaster Challenge, which according to Meteorologist Dan Zarrow featured a real-feel temperature of about 17 degrees with the coaster in motion.  The Polar Coaster Challenge was just one of many fun events the theme park is holding to celebrate Holiday In The Park, which is current running through January 1st.  With so much success at yesterday's event I wouldn't be surprised to see it return next year!


Saturday, December 7, 2019

Busch Gardens Tampa Tops Off Iron Gwazi With Dizzying New Photo


© Busch Gardens Tampa
Busch Gardens Tampa has topped off Iron Gwazi's 206 foot tall lift hill, and to mark the occasion released the above photo capturing the moment the purple track was placed.  The ride is the tallest Rocky Mountain Construction coaster in North America, and one of the most highly anticipated new rides of the 2020 season.

© Busch Gardens Tampa
With the apex in place fans of the park are able to see just how stunningly tall the ride looks as it towers over the park.  The ride uses a steel lift hill that doesn't require an awful lot of supports, making the first drop look even more precarious.  The ride's 206 foot first drop is 91 degrees, yes one degree beyond vertical, and the trains will be propelled to 76 miles per hour as a result of it.

Midway Mayhem has shared some additional photos of the ride with the lift hill being completed.  Check them out below!


Thursday, December 5, 2019

Ambitious Plans Revealed for The London Resort Theme Park


The long planned theme park to be located just outside of London, England, has once again pushed forward with ambitious plans to open by 2024.  The development, currently known as The London Resort, was first heard about back in 2012, when it was tied heavily to Paramount Pictures, even using the word Paramount in the development's name at the time.  The project stalled several times, eventually breaking ties with Paramount, only to hook up with them again a couple years ago.

© The London Resort
Developers are hoping to start construction on the expansive theme park, which is really just one part of the master plan, within the next two years.  While the latest concept artwork for the theme park can be seen above, the larger plans include two theme parks, a water resort, entertainment village and more than 300 hotel rooms spread out over more than 500 acres along the Thames river.  The park looks to include some interesting rides, including a handful of roller coasters.

© The London Resort
This latest round of news comes with a more detailed look at the current plan for the theme park, which also includes announcing the property's themed lands - detailed on the schematic above.  The park has partnerships with BBC, ITV Studios and Paramount Pictures to use their intellectual properties throughout the park's rides and attractions.

The park also hopes to be one of the 'greenest' parks on the planet, with an overall goal of zero net emissions.  All of the rides, attractions, restaurants and retail of the park will be built with sustainability in mind.

© The London Resort
Much of the park will be located under cover as a protection from weather.  As for the lands and attractions that The London Resort will offer in its first theme park, the project's press materials detail them as such:

"The entrance to The London Resort will be via a grand plaza that leads visitors and hotel guests through ‘The High Street’. Full of shops, restaurants, hotels, a Convention Centre and a first-class waterpark.

Visitors can start their journey in The Studios, a gritty, modern-day warehouse district that practically roars with the exhilarating thrills of big, blockbuster features.  A winning combination of explosive action, high-octane car chases and high-stakes espionage.

Just to the north lies The Woods, an enchanted realm where springtime reigns eternal and the boundary between reality and fantasy dissolves. Here, the young and young-at-heart will be invited to step through the pages of a storybook and embark on adventures that put a fresh spin on beloved bedtime stories, fables and fairy tales.

© The London Resort
"From the Woods, the journey continues through the ages into The Kingdom, an immersive realm of swords, sorcery, dragons & legend. This is England as a dark and ancient land, a place of threatening and imposing castles and mystical Arthurian legends.

To the north lay The Isles, a land of giant creatures, mythical beasts and adventures at the crossroads of imagination and reality.  Fantastic jaw dropping architecture will combine with magnificent rides and 21st century technology.

The past begins to blend with the future in The Jungle. Ancient ruins of a mysterious long-lost Mesoamerican civilisation are seen pushing up through treetops. Here, an overgrown environment, brimming with ancient secrets, surprising discoveries and strange mystical artefacts will be transported to the present by inquisitive explorers – young and old.

The final land, dedicated to futuristic experiences, alien encounters and big thrill rides, The Starport is a bustling 23rd century landing zone. It will launch visitors into thrilling science-fiction adventures that are out of this world, leaving them mesmerised at things that should be impossible but are not."

With plans for the park coming together rapidly, it isn't totally clear if the park already has funding in place, or if that's still being generated.  Past issues with the project also revolved around government approvals and public approval of the project.


Tuesday, December 3, 2019

More Concept Art Revealed for Luna Park's 10th Anniversary Expansion Season


© Luna Park
During this year's IAAPA Expo both Zamperla and Luna Park presented an exciting look at all they are building for the property's 10th anniversary in 2020.  Scott & Carol attended the Expo and filed a video report from the announcement along with the press release, if you missed that check it out here.

The property is expanding onto new parcels of land next year, and in total there will be 4 new rides along with a handful of redeveloped public spaces.

© Luna Park
Here is a look at the new developments, along with the existing parks, well part of them.  Half of the Scream Zone area can be seen here on the far right, and Luna Park proper to beyond that.  The new areas being developed are in color, and include expansive new public areas on what was parking lots or dead end streets, along with a large new area filled with rides.  The new public spaces will serve to help make all of Luna Park's offerings feel more cohesive, and make those sections much, much easier on the eye.

© Luna Park
The largest plot of land will be home to two new rides, The Super Flume Ride and a Junior Coaster - with final names pending.  You can see both in this art, the junior coaster will go up and over the flume ride, creating some neat interactions between the two.  The flume will feature 12 boats, two drops and panoramic views of the ocean.

© Luna Park
The Junior Coaster will run two trains, the theming detail of those can be seen in the concept art above.  Obviously from the name there is no intention of this being a large thrilling roller coaster, instead its rolling hills and drops will be suitable for a large section of the family.

© Luna Park
Luna Park will also debut a new Ropes and Adventure course next year.  The original concept art released months ago had the 4 story structure further back from the boardwalk, but it has been moved up so that those on the course can have an even better view of the beach.  The course includes four level of climbing along with zip lines.

Zamperla will also debut a brand new attraction next year in Luna Park, called Big WaveZ, the first instillation in the world.  Big WaveZ is an interactive water ride that "transports guests into the lair of the Roman mythical god Neptune.  Sensors on the passenger vessel allow guests to interact with a temperamental Neptune as well as influence the movement of the ride."  Those watching the ride can also interact via a touch screen platform, making each ride unique and ensuring that no passenger leaves dry.


Sunday, December 1, 2019

Checking In On Six Flags Great Adventure's Jersey Devil Coaster Construction


© Six Flags Great Adventure
Roller coaster fans were super excited in August when Six Flags Great Adventure announced the largest Rocky Mountain Construction Raptor design to date, and understandably so.  Known as the Jersey Devil Coaster, the new thrill coaster will stand 130 feet tall and feature an 87 degree first drop.

Riders will sit in single in-line cars, combined in a train carrying a total of 12 passengers.  With a towering double out and back layout, the Jersey Devil Coaster will also invert riders a total of three times.

© Six Flags Great Adventure
In mid-November construction on the coaster kicked into high gear, as the park started to dig the very first foundations for the ride.  The park has spent the fall clearing a large section of wooded area located along the lake, beyond Skull Mountain and overlapping a bit of Adventure Seaport.

© Six Flags Great Adventure
A week later the park was still playing in the mud, however they had made some enormous holes in preparation of the ride's footings being poured.  You can see the frame for one of the large block footings getting put in place in further back in the photo.

© Six Flags Great Adventure
The park shared even more photos after another week, and at that point were gearing up to pour cement into the footings.  This photo especially may help those familiar with the park understand where the start of the ride will be relative to what can be seen here.  Also of note, the park's kiddie coaster has been removed to make way for the ride, but it's assumed it will be relocated in the park.

They also had to dig up some remnants of Koala Canyon for the new ride, when they shared photos of.

© Six Flags Great Adventure
Just a few days ago the park completed the first concrete pour for the Jersey Devil Coaster's footers, shown above.  That's a handful down and a whole lot more, but progress is progress!