Jersey Devil Coaster - Now Open!

[XENITH]

Good morning everyone! Alex of TheCoasterSpot has been so kind as to film a drone update for JDC, which will premiere today at 1PM EST. It is still unclear if construction has resumed, but hopefully this new video can answer some of our questions. 

[XENITH]

The drone has spoken! **SPOILER** Aside from construction vehicles, nothing on the site has moved since construction was halted, and the coaster has officially sat dormant for a total of 65 days. Hopefully construction can resume again soon.

[Pineracer]

I think Jersey Devil has been delayed to next year at this point

[XENITH]

6 minutes ago, Pineracer said:

I think Jersey Devil has been delayed to next year at this point

That's fair. I think that would be a smarter move rather than spending the money to finish the ride and have less grand of an opening as well. They are ultimately going to miss out on the peak summer season as well. 

Edited June 14, 2020 by XENITH

[MarioSonic94]

This will be the first time since Chiller that a new coaster has missed its planned opening season.

 

Granted,  they both had different reasons for their postponed openings. (One had serious mechanical issues and the other was caught in the middle of a global pandemic)

Edited June 14, 2020 by MarioSonic94

[harry2004]

i read that and i worred that jersey devil will end up like chiller went

[XENITH]

5 hours ago, harry2004 said:

i read that and i worred that jersey devil will end up like chiller went

JERSEY DEVIL COASTER, as @Pineracer earlier said, will most likely be ready to open for opening day 2021. Keep in mind that Chiller was a much more error-prone attraction as it ran four separate LIM boosters which ripped through power, hence its extensive delays. The Chiller was ultimately delayed at the hands of internal error from Premier Rides and the project's other associated parties, whereas JERSEY DEVIL COASTER is being delayed at the hands of a global pandemic, something the park nor Rocky Mountain, Maser Consulting, and all other associated parties have zero control over (as @MarioSonic94 stated). While the delay control is different, JERSEY DEVIL COASTER most likely will not fall in the same vein as The Chiller as the margin of error for something that much of a failure is extraneously minor. The coaster does not feature any substantial prototype or error-prone mechanisms to my knowledge, and will run as traditional and smooth as a coaster from Rocky Mountain could run. There were so many more different factors to consider when operating the Chiller (dueling cycles, maintaining countless sets of LIM boosters, valleying, headbanging, avoiding blackouts, etc. etc.) than there will ever be with something as familiar, safe, and debugged as the technology used on JDC. 

[Pineracer]

18 hours ago, MarioSonic94 said:

This will be the first time since Chiller that a new coaster has missed its planned opening season.

 

Granted,  they both had different reasons for their postponed openings. (One had serious mechanical issues and the other was caught in the middle of a global pandemic)

 

Chiller technically had it's media day as planned in 1997, but then was closed the rest of the season.

[coliwood_studios]

I could see JDC opening for Fright Fest with a huge membership/pass marketing blitz.

BUT, it all depends on the covid situation and when the park is actually allowed to open.

More than likely it will probably get pushed to 2021...

[Nitr0o]

Jersey Devil already seemed to be really ahead in construction before all this, I'm sure they can do it before Fright Fest at least. I doubt 2021 would be the opening. But if it is then whatever.

[XENITH]

45 minutes ago, Nitr0o said:

Jersey Devil already seemed to be really ahead in construction before all this, I'm sure they can do it before Fright Fest at least. I doubt 2021 would be the opening. But if it is then whatever.

It was way ahead; probably one of the greatest construction runs I’ve ever seen! I hate to bring this up in the forum for the coaster, but with a second wave of the virus slated for the fall and winter seasons I doubt the coaster would open then; quite frankly, the second wave may occur sooner than we think. However, as TheCoasterSpot mentioned in his video, the point of a ride like JERSEY DEVIL COASTER is to boost attendance, rather than rides like El Diablo or Justice League that were most likely opened to maintain attendance numbers rather than drive them up. With the virus and subsequent reservation system, the park will miss the peak summer crowds and likely the Fright Fest crowds as well, since reservations will also be required and a second wave may hit. In order for the park to receive the best return for JERSEY DEVIL COASTER and get the greatest value out of the attraction, it would be best for them to open it for opening day of 2021 when (hopefully) capacity and distancing restrictions will ease and remedies to the virus become more readily available. It’s a matter of investment and return, so I think it’s in both our best bets and our best favor that the coaster opens ready for the next season. 

Edited June 17, 2020 by XENITH

[Medusa42]

The "New for 2020" tab is now missing from the main Six Flags website.  I expect some of the flat rides and a couple of the water slides to open this year, but not any of the coasters.

[Louisatsweetlou]

Jersey Devil Coaster has also been removed from the Great Adventure website

I get why, but I'm still a little sad about it. Honestly, though, if the park opens this Summer at all, I would be incredibly happy  

[Pineracer]

1 minute ago, Louisatsweetlou said:

Jersey Devil Coaster has also been removed from the Great Adventure website

I get why, but I'm still a little sad about it. Honestly, though, if the park opens this Summer at all, I would be incredibly happy  

I personally feel they should keep the Safari going through Labor Day weekend and weekends in September. Depending on how things go, possibly bring back Winter Lights select nights from Black Friday til New Years Day. The park is generating revenue and being so close to New York and how annoyed the boardwalk parks are, this I feel is the best option.

[mattkopp23]

18 hours ago, Louisatsweetlou said:

Jersey Devil Coaster has also been removed from the Great Adventure website

I get why, but I'm still a little sad about it. Honestly, though, if the park opens this Summer at all, I would be incredibly happy  

I'm just happy that we got this coaster and it has been partially been built before the pandemic. I think future investments in the chain are uncertain at this time, so getting this big investment of a coaster right beforehand was a win. 

[jdc12192]

After riding Wonder Woman golden lasso coaster today I’m glad jersey devil isn’t a clone and is more spread out. 

[XENITH]

MAP UPDATE: It has obviously been a while since progress has been made on the new coaster, but I wanted to update you all on a few things. First, I haven't put out a map in a while and I aim to finish up my final remaining map since construction has been halted. I am currently working on the site map for April 14, 2020, and that is unfortunately the final map until construction resumes. I will review the June construction update and keep a close eye on any noticeable changes, but I can't guarantee I will find anything of value. Other than 4/14 which I aim to complete soon, no other maps will be released until construction is resumed. The continuation of construction is uncertain, as it could be in the coming weeks or even in the coming months. But until then, I just wanted to say that it has been an absolutely wild journey through this entire coaster and it has been a pleasure to share the site maps with everyone here on the forums. I was aiming to continue the site maps as a tradition as the park added new rides through 2021 and 2022, but the future of the park through those years is foggy and I am unsure as to whether I will even be able to create site maps for those new attractions, if any. Come 2022, I will be going out of the state for college and Great Adventure will no longer be my most frequented park, but it will forever be my home park. Because of this, I will be carrying on the site map tradition to other parks closer to where I am staying since I will have access to more in-person visits at those properties compared to Great Adventure. 

 

If JDC is the only site map collection I get to produce for Great Adventure, I'd just love to say now that I appreciate everybody here who supported the maps, gave them some love, and most importantly, accepted them. I've been to some other sites to take the site maps there and they were greeted with a mostly negative reception, so I am glad that there is a fan-base here that appreciates the work and values it for what it is. I don't want to sign off on the site maps completely as there is still another battle to endure come the continuation of construction, but I figured I'd put this out now since the time feels right and I may not have much to offer in terms of maps for the next few months. 

 

On a similar note, I'd like to highlight three of the most influential periods of time in recent construction, as these three periods have molded the perception of the coaster and has given us all optimism of an eventual return. I'm no coaster historian, but separating the life of the coaster into these distinguished periods sheds further light on the progress that was made and goes to show that these crews were absolutely hauling through this project from the get-go. 

 

The Paradise Piers | December 24, 2019 - February 12, 2020

All of the footings and pier caps for the JERSEY DEVIL COASTER were formed and poured: This era of construction was the ultimate vertical construction we were all highly anticipating, and it paid off. Crews were able to pour the nearly 100 foundations for the coaster and sea of pier caps that bear the ride's ghost-grey columns. A Christmas gift from the park transformed into a swift construction process that set the stage for one of the craziest construction runs I've ever seen. 

 

 

The Nightcrawler Dynasty | March 2, 2020 - April 10, 2020

During this legendary run, crews installed nearly all of the ride's columns and managed to track the ride all the way through the exit of the zero-g roll. This was completely unexpected, as the unfortunate events of the COVID-19 pandemic halted construction elsewhere, but crews working on this ride were relentless and kept trucking on: Aside from that little synopsis, this is honestly one of the craziest things I have ever witnessed. I knew before that raptors were designed for quick installation, but I didn't know that one of the sheer magnitude of something like JDC could cover so much ground at once. In this time span, not only were most ride columns installed, but crews tracked the entire ride from the bottom of the first drop all the way through the exit of the zero-g roll; all in just over a month's time. Elements that would take normal construction projects weeks to complete took JDC sometimes DAYS. Watching the coaster go up as our hopes went down for a 2020 theme park season was a miracle to behold, and I am forever grateful for this little boost of optimism that went a long way during this unfortunate global event. This ride didn't even crawl through the night; this thing ran absolute marathons!

 

 

The Dormant Era | April 10, 2020 - Present

Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey ordered the halt of non-essential construction effective April 10, 2020, and the construction site sat vacant for over a month before crews were allowed to resume. As of now (June 24, 2020), the Dormant Era has officially become our longest recorded era of JERSEY DEVIL COASTER construction thus far, currently spanning a whopping 75 days: Even with Governor Murphy allowing non-essential construction to resume effective May 18, 2020, the coaster has remained dormant, just waiting to erupt, for over two months since it initially stopped and over one month since it was allowed to restart. Now that the park has announced its opening day of July 3, 2020, no official announcement has been made regarding the coaster's future. However, several sources close the park have revealed the no progress on the ride has been made since the initial and many are beginning to speculate a 2021 opening for the sleeping giant. 

 

Just wanted to bring something to the forum since the current state of JDC doesn't warrant too many posts; just wanted to keep the spirit of the coaster alive. Be on the lookout for a new map and I hope to see everyone again soon.

Edited June 25, 2020 by XENITH

[29yrswithaGApass]

[mattkopp23]

I honestly get it. Why open a new ride when you can’t attract more attendance. I really hope that they can use the extra time to add theming. It would make the wait worth it.

[XENITH]

Sad to see but yes, very understandable. Sounds so weird putting 2021 and JDC in the same sentence. 

[Medusa42]

With track being fabricated now, it will be interesting to see if the one at Magic Mountain is delayed.  If not, the park might have to remove world's longest.

[XENITH]

1 minute ago, Medusa42 said:

With track being fabricated now, it will be interesting to see if the one at Magic Mountain is delayed.  If not, the park might have to remove world's longest.

Probably world's tallest and fastest too.. if MM has to increase the height to get it through the extended layout with enough speed JDC might not have its records for too long.

[Medusa42]

New video from TheCoasterSpot with footage from within the park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3ihJIEfmGQ

 

[XENITH]

I took my first visit of the season to the park today and got some really nice photos of JDC! The ride is absolutely massive in real life and can be seen from many different locations throughout the park, and there are lots of cool vista points that I didn't expect to have of the ride. I am planning on editing some of the photos I took to make them look like old 8mm film photos, so here is the first of  a couple that I plan on doing. Here is the first photo of JDC in an alternate universe (we'll call it 1981, 40 years prior to the coaster's actual opening year). 

[XENITH]

In the mean time, here are the other photos I took of the coaster today that I edited regularly. I will likely be using one or two of these photos with the 8mm filter, but it won't be all of them.