Cranes move in to replace cracked support column on Carowinds rollercoaster

Crews at Carowinds worked Wednesday to remove a cracked support column on the Fury 325 rollercoaster.

On Thursday, the new support column and hardware are set to arrive from Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the ride manufacturer, according to a news release posted on the park’s website.

On Wednesday, crews assembled cranes to hold and position the track part of the coaster while removing part of the existing column.

Park leadership plans to conduct several tests once the installation is complete. It includes an accelerometer test that uses sensors to measure any variation in the ride experience. After that, the park plans to operate the ride for 500 full cycles, performing tests and inspections of the entire ride throughout that period.

After the park completes its testing, B&M and a third-party testing firm will perform a final inspection.

The park is planning to work with the North Carolina Department of Labor's Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau to prepare Fury 325 for reopening.

On Wednesday, Carowinds did not provide an update on when Fury 325 would reopen.

B&M began inspecting Fury 325, the day after the ride closed.

Jeremy Wagner, a Carowinds visitor, found the fracture in the Fury 325 rollercoaster on June 30.