#Skyscraper roller coaster update

The last update from the developers on Facebook was in December 2017, and their Twitter feed went dormant two years earlier. By June 2019, the website promoting the project was taken down, and reports surfaced in 2020 that Universal used a variety of legal tactics to derail the project. The complex's projected opening date was pushed back further to 2020, with rides opening sometime later. In January 2019, Skyplex's budget was scaled back from $500 million to $250 million, with plans to retain Skyscraper's original coaster design but include less retail development around the base of the structure. By April 2017, portions of the roller coaster's track had been completed by Intamin and were placed in storage, but construction of the complex was still on hold pending permit approval. The addition of virtual reality headsets to Skyscraper was announced in late 2016, and the expected opening date was updated to 2019. However, design changes and a lengthy process for obtaining the necessary permits caused several delays in breaking ground, and the timeline was updated to reflect construction on the complex beginning in mid-2017.

Construction on the main complex was expected to begin in 2015, with the ride opening in 2016. Skyscraper was officially announced on June 5, 2014. Documents uncovered by an Orlando news agency revealed that the roller coaster would be located in Central Florida along International Drive at the intersection with Sand Lake Road. In May 2014, investment for the project was sought, and a website was formed to assist with the endeavor. After several successful negotiations for land, development of both the roller coaster and Skyplex began. In 2012, Wallack Holdings, owners of Mango's Tropical Café in Orlando, selected the Polercoaster design concept pitched by US Thrill Rides to become their flagship attraction at the future-planned Skyplex indoor entertainment complex. If it were to be completed, Skyscraper would become the tallest roller coaster in the world at over 500 feet (150 m) and would feature both the steepest drop and highest inversion. The status of the project became uncertain in 2019, following the removal of the project's website and lack of updates from developers.

Developers expected to complete the work by 2016, but a number of delays resulted in the date being pushed back several times. Development began in 2012 by American manufacturer US Thrill Rides and Swiss manufacturer Intamin, with both companies designing the attraction as the first Polercoaster model utilizing an observation tower for its main support structure. Skyscraper is a roller coaster concept originally planned for a future Skyplex entertainment complex located in Orlando, Florida. Riders are arranged 4 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train.

Skyscraper roller coaster