November 14, 2024
Thomas P. Costello/Asbury Park Press/USA Today Network
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, is closing roller coasters Kingda Ka, shown above, and the adjacent Green Lantern ride. It's also closing its Sky Way gondola ride as part of a plan to open multiple new rides in the coming years.
Six Flags Great Adventure announced Thursday that it will close Kingda Ka — the world's tallest roller coaster — and two other rides at the the New Jersey amusement park to clear space for new thrills in the coming years.
The jungle-themed, 456-foot-tall Kingda Ka debuted at Six Flags in 2005, setting records at the time for both its height and top speed of 128 mph. The ride had been temporarily shut down by state investigators last year after one of its launch cables snapped mid-ride. No riders were injured.
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In a statement Thursday morning, the amusement park in Jackson Township said it will shut down Kingda Ka and Green Lantern, the adjacent, 155-foot-tall roller coaster known for its five inversions. Green Lantern previously had been at Louisville's Kentucky Kingdom under the name Chang before moving to Six Flags in 2011. To clear space for future development, Six Flags also said it plans to remove the Sky Way, a gondola ride that spans the park's grounds and reaches a peak of 104 feet.
“We understand that saying goodbye to beloved rides can be difficult, and we appreciate our guests' passion," Brian Bacica, president of Six Flags Great Adventure, said in a statement Thursday. "These changes are an important part of our growth and dedication to delivering exceptional new experiences. We look forward to sharing more details next summer.”
Kingda Ka was known for its blazing speed and 90-degree incline at its peak, which gave riders a vast view overlooking the park before hurtling them in a downward spiral. The ride's speed record stood until 2010, when the 149 mph Formula Rossa opened at Abu Dhabi's Ferrari World.
The ride closures at Six Flags Great Adventure come ahead of the park's plans to open a new ride, The Flash: Vertical Velocity, some time next year. That ride, billed as the first "super boomerang" in the United States, will have multiple loops leading up to a 172-foot-tall tower where riders are then sent backward to complete the track in reverse.
Six Flags also announced Thursday that it will open a "multi-world-record-breaking launch roller coaster" at the park in 2026, but did not provide details about those plans.
“With our dedication to creating unforgettable experiences, the park's multi-year expansion plans will bring major investments, including record-breaking thrill rides, revitalized family experiences, elevated dining, expanded events, and continuous enhancements across the property,” Bacica said.
The changes at Six Flags come months after the company completed an $8 billion merger with rival amusement park chain Cedar Fair. The combined company, called Six Flags Entertainment Corp., now encompasses 42 theme parks, water parks and resorts in North America. The merger sparked apprehension among roller coaster enthusiasts over concerns that some parks could abandon treasured parts of their legacies. Six Flags said Thursday it will invest $1 billion across its theme parks in the coming years.
