New roller coaster set to open at Western Playland

Thrill seekers are in for a treat this May.

According to Pat Thomson, President of Western Playland, a new roller coaster is being installed at the amusement park.

The ride will be similar in size to the other roller coaster offered at the theme park. It will stand around 55 feet tall.

However, the roller coaster is expected to be much faster. Thomson said the ride will reach between 50 and 60 miles per hour. In addition, Thomson said the roller coaster will hit 4G’s around turns.

The roller coaster was bought from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in California.

Thomson said the total cost of the ride, including travel arrangements and installation, will be just under 1 million dollars.

The ride is called The Hurricane, and went out of comission around Labor Day last year.

Thomson said it took arond 1 and half months to deconstuct in California, and should take around another month and a half to sand, repaint, and reinstall in Sunland Park.

The transportation of the ride was difficult, according to Thomson. He said it took 12 semi-trucks to transport the parts in a safe manner.

Currently Western Playland is in the process of putting the roller coaster back together. Thomson said they hope to open the ride for public use during the first week of May.