Dark Knight (Six Flags New England)

The Dark Knight
Location	Six Flags New England
Park section	DC Superhero Adventures
Status	Cancelled
Cost	$7 million
Type	Steel - Wild Mouse - Enclosed
Manufacturer	Mack Rides
Designer	Werner Stengel, Six Flags
Model	Wild Mouse (2nd-gen compact mobile)
Track layout	Wild Mouse
Height	45 ft (14 m)
Length	1,213 ft (370 m)
Max speed	30 mph (48 km/h)
Duration	2:00
Capacity	1120 riders per hour
Height restriction	4 ft 0 in (122 cm)
The Dark Knight at RCDB
Pictures of The Dark Knight at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

The Dark Knight was an indoor steel roller coaster designed by MACK Rides that was to open at Six Flags New England. It was hoped that the ride would be open sometime in April^[when?], but the construction of the ride at this park experienced many delays. Because no settlement could ultimately be reached with the town of Agawam to resume construction, the construction of the ride was officially canceled. The actual coaster track and all other parts of the actual ride were sent to Six Flags México. Similar rollercoasters with the same name opened spring 2008 at Six Flags Great Adventure and at Six Flags Great America.

The ride

The Dark Knight was to be inspired by the 2008 film of the same name. Costing $7.5 million, the ride was an indoor Wild Mouse coaster that would have put guests through the premise of being stalked by the Joker. It was considered a family ride rather than a thrill ride.

Delays

In February 2008, construction on the ride had started before all of the necessary construction permits were in order, leading building inspector Dominic Urbinati to issue a stop-work order. Without the proper construction documents, Urbinati said, there was no way he could ensure the project met state building and safety codes. In March, the park was still faced with having to seek a new set of permits after several changes were made to the plans previously approved by city boards. Park management still hoped to open Dark Knight by Memorial Day weekend, but still faced hurdles from the town of Agawam due to changes in design from the original plans. The Planning Board and the Conservation Commission later approved the proposed changes, such as a 10-foot (3.0 m) shift in the building's footprint to meet state fire safety codes, but the plans were rejected by the Zoning Board, which had previously granted a special permit for changes in height to the original plans. References to the ride were later removed from the Six Flags New England website. In April 2008, it was announced that construction on The Dark Knight Coaster had been canceled, and that the coaster itself would be sent to another park in the future.

Current space utilization

The former Batman Thrill Spectacular arena, which had already been torn down to make room for the Dark Knight coaster, was replaced with the "Gridiron Challenge," featuring a miniature football field and a mini-golf course. In addition, the Super-Hero Grill directly adjacent to the former arena was turned into a Johnny Rockets restaurant. The ride itself is currently located in Six Flags México. In 2009 they brought a slingshot out of storage that was brought up from Six Flags Great Adventure a few years back. Agawam wouldn't let Six Flags New England install it a few years ago but in 2009 they got the special permits. It is called "The Blitz" and has an upcharge of $15 per person, only two people can go on at a time. The Blitz goes along the backside of Johnny Rockets.

For 2011, this space is going to be home to a wild mouse roller coaster from the former Six Flags park; Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

See also

• The Dark Knight (film)

References

External links

• Dark Knight press release
• Official Dark Knight webpage
• Official Dark Knight construction blog