Multiple media outlets are reporting that a roller coaster will be added to the Jurassic Park area of Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
The coaster has been a long-running rumor on theme park blogs like Orlando Park Stop, which first reported on the coaster plans in May 2018. This week, construction walls began going up around the area, closing carnival-style games and the waterfront around the Jurassic Park Discovery Center. Universal team members were also informed that the pedestrian bridge connecting Jurassic Park with the Lost Continent area will be closed from January 22 through the summer.
Universal filed demolition permits, labeled “Project 791,” for the Jurassic Park area with the South Florida Water Management District in May 2018. WFTV is reporting those permits match the construction walls seen this year as well as contractor documents obtained by the station which include the construction of “a new attraction.”
WFTV and OrlandoParkStop.com posted nearly identical layouts for the coaster track. According to their reports, the entrance queue will be located next to the Discovery Center, with the coaster winding close to the Raptor Encounter meet-and-greet before running along the park’s lagoon and over the bridge to Lost Continent.
No official permits for the coaster construction have been filed with the city of Orlando.
While Universal did not respond to Orlando Rising’s request for comment, the park did respond to a Twitter question about the Jurassic Park section on January 8, saying “We’ve got some exciting plans and look forward to more exciting details to come!”
It’s not unusual for Universal to be tight-lipped about coming attractions. The park has released few details about the “Harry Potter”-themed coaster under construction near the reported Jurassic coaster site and has been silent on what intellectual property will be replacing the former Terminator 2:3-D attraction at Universal Studios Florida.
“I don’t expect fully detailed announcements until the booking window opens to visit the new attractions,” Bill Zanetti, a founding member of the Entertainment Management Advisory Board at the University of Central Florida, told Orlando Rising in November 2018. “Announcing new things too early in the industry can actually hurt attendance is the meantime, especially if they can’t book trips yet, as potential visitors will postpone their trips until the new attractions are open.”