Six Flags Great America Planning Coaster for 2014

Six Flags Great America’s 2014 plans include a 165-foot-tall roller coaster, according to this Gurnee, Illinois Planning and Zoning Board meeting agenda. The park is asking for a height variance to build taller than the current 125-foot limit.

The excerpt reads:

“Six Flags Great America, located between Grand Avenue and Washington Street and Route 21 and the I-94 Tollway, is requesting a variance to allow the establishment and operation of a new roller coaster with a maximum height of 165 feet.  The roller coaster is proposed in the County Fair area of the theme park, where the Iron Wolf coaster was previously located.  The subject site is zoned C-S1 (A.P.) Outdoor Recreational District as a Special Use for an Amusement Park.”

Update 8/22/13: The Gurnee Village Board unanimously approved plans for the coaster. Click here to read more on the approval and blueprints of the site.

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The above diagram displayed at the meeting shows the coaster’s elevation changes. The coaster will stand 165 feet tall and will drop riders 13 feet underground, for a total drop height of 178 feet.

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Above, I highlighted the former Iron Wolf site, which has remained mostly untouched since the coaster closed in 2011. Of course, the new coaster doesn’t have to fit within the exact tract of land that Iron Wolf used.

Some rumors point to a Premier launched coaster similar to Full Throttle which opened this year at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Others hint at a possible Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) creation (think Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City). As much as I would like to see a RMC at the park, I’m not sure a 165-foot-tall wooden coaster could fit in that area. However, I never would have guessed a B&M wing coaster would fit in the area formerly home to Splashwater Falls. Anything is possible in regards to space issues.

The park may have something entirely different in the works. We don’t have enough details at this point to tell.

As of June of 2013, the old Iron Wolf station was still standing. The future of the structure remains uncertain, but I think it’s definitely possible that it would be reused for the new coaster, especially if it is a rumored Premier launched coaster which traditionally have shorter trains (i.e. Magic Mountain’s Full Throttle, Discovery Kingdom’s Superman: Ultimate Flight, etc.)

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Below, watch the latest teaser video released by the park:

The Guinness World Record bit is quite interesting. What record could this new coaster break?

The park will announce the coaster on Thursday, August 29, 2013.

Share your thoughts about this coaster in the comments section below.

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