'It's going to take a while': NC labor commissioner discusses plan to reopen Carowinds' Fury 325 rollercoaster
North Carolina Department of Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson said he’s pleased with Carowinds in its transparency with his office since the cracked Fury 325 rollercoaster closed.
On Friday, Dobson said he can’t speak about what specifically caused the break because it is still under investigation.
“It's going to take a while,” Dobson said. “I think the most important thing for us to do is make sure that we do it right as opposed to get it done quickly.”
WRAL News asked Dobson about the timeline of when the break was discovered and when the ride closed. Dobson said he couldn't comment on that.
WRAL News also asked Dobson about how bad it could have been had it not been caught.
“I don't want to hedge on your question … but I think it's too early to tell,” Dobson said. “I do know that Carowinds has safeguards in place, like backstops upon backstops for these types of things, so that gives me a level of comfort."
It’s unclear when exactly the ride will be recertified for operation again.
On Thursday, Carowinds provided an update, saying the park’s maintenance team and representatives from the ride’s manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc. (B&M), began inspecting the Fury 325 on July 1, the day after the ride closed.
After inspecting the entire track, support columns and foundation, the Carowinds maintenance team B&M "performed a battery of tests to identify the cause of the fracture, which appears to have formed along a weld line in the steel column," a spokesperson said.
Crews will remove and replace the damaged support column. The new part is expected to be delivered to Carowinds next week, but the ride will undergo extensive tests and inspections by B&M and a third-party testing firm before it can reopen to the public, Carowinds said.
“We will not issue a recertification of operation until we are thoroughly satisfied that this thing is as safe as it can be,” Dobson said.
No reopening date was announced Thursday.
“Thank God no one was hurt and no one was harmed,” Dobson said. “So, I’m grateful for that, and we're going to work with Carowinds to make sure this situation is rectified going forward."
