Kennywood closes Steel Curtain for entire season
Kennywood’s Steel Curtain roller coaster has been sacked for the season.
According to an Instagram post Wednesday, Kennywood said the Steel Curtain — which opened in 2019 — will be closed for the 2024 season. The iconic Western Pennsylvania amusement park opens on Saturday.
The flagship Steelers-themed attraction is undergoing what the park called an extensive modification project to increase ride longevity and reliability.
Kennywood officials said they have worked for several months with third-party engineers and the ride’s manufacturer to find a long-term solution to provide for uninterrupted rides.
“We understand the frustration many of you have felt not being able to experience Steel Curtain. We absolutely share that frustration with you. Our ultimate goal is obviously to ensure the Steel Curtain is a part of everyone’s Kennywood experience once it reopens,” Ricky Spicuzza, assistant general manager at Kennywood, said on Instagram.
Kennywood did not return messages seeking further comment.
The Steel Curtain ride has been closed multiple times before, beginning early on its opening day in 2019 after experiencing a technical difficulty and glitches. That same year, the roller coaster shut down two more times for maintenance and to work out kinks, TribLive previously reported.
Last year, the ride was closed in August for maintenance work.
The Steel Curtain is 4,000 feet with nine inversions and a maximum speed of 75 mph. It is on the former site of the Log Jammer in the Steelers Country section of the park.
Kennywood named the ride after the Steel Curtain nickname bestowed on the 1970s defensive line that led Pittsburgh to four Super Bowls.
The coaster is manufactured by S&S Worldwide Inc., based in Logan, Utah. A representative for the company’s ride service team was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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