WCPO was the first media outlet to report that a major new roller coaster is coming to Kings Island.
Now, construction has begun on both the foundation and the steel track for the ride.
Video from Chopper 9 shows the work underway on the new project, which is on the north side of The Racer, where Firehawk and Dinosaurs Alive used to stand.
According to blueprints filed in May with the city of Mason, Ohio, it appears to be what's known as a giga coaster — a coaster taller than 300 feet.
For reference, Diamondback, the park's tallest coaster, is just over 200 feet tall.
Concrete and track work underway
Chopper 9 video taken from just outside the park's boundaries shows that drilling rigs have been burrowing holes for the ride's piers.
We could also see bucket loaders pouring gravel and concrete for the foundation.
At the same time, Kings Island co-founder and international theme park consultant Dennis Speigel said track is already being constructed.
"There's already steel out in Batavia for this. I know so," he told us.
So we drove to Clermont Steel Fabricators in Batavia, Ohio, which builds track for Swiss coaster maker B&M and constructed the steel track for Diamondback and Banshee at the park previously.
From a vantage point across the public road, we saw acres of finished brown track, which insiders say is for a new Hershey Chocolatetown coaster going up this fall in Pennsylvania. (You can learn more about that ride at Coaster101.)
Behind the brown track pieces, we saw several sections of silver and blue track, which Speigel believes could be destined for Kings Island.
The ride's name? Possibly Orion or Polaris, both of which were recently trademarked by Kings Island's owner, Cedar Fair.
Video turns blueprints into animation
And to see what a Polaris giga coaster could possibly look like, the Amusement Insiders YouTube channel posted an animation based on the blueprints.
A second video shows a point-of-view angle as if you were riding the ride.
The simulations were designed by an engineer who calls himself DustintheNow on coaster forums.
The coaster would tower almost as high as the park's Eiffel tower and would be one of just seven giga coasters worldwide.
Speigel said it will boost attendance to Kings Island: "This is a coaster that's going to draw people not just from all over the United States, but from all over the world."
Neither Kings Island nor Clermont Steel Fabricators would officially comment on any new ride.
But if you go to the park, and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower (or ride The Racer) you can see the progress for yourself.
As always, don't waste your money.
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