Dollywood theme park adding wood coaster said to be fastest

It is not a traditional wooden roller coaster, Dollywood President Craig Ross said, because it will be the first wooden coaster to use launch technology. The coaster will then drop riders 73 degrees down the 165 foot first drop where it will reach speeds of 73 miles per hour, making it the world’s fastest wooden coaster.

The $22 million price tag marks the largest single investment in The Dollywood Co.’s history. Thunderhead is constantly among the top five wooden coasters while RiverRush is the one and only water coaster in Tennessee.

Dolly Parton announcing the “world’s faster rollercoaster” is coming toDollywood during a media event on Friday, August 7, 2015, at the amusement park in Pigeon Forge.

The Lighting Rod will launch riders up 20 stories from a standstill to 45 miles per hour.

“I’m getting nauseous just looking at that”, she joked. Its track length is 3,800 feet.

The ride will feature 12 cars carrying two passengers each, and will have a variety of ups, downs, twists, and turns. The ride duration will be three minutes and 12 seconds.

“It’s literally built into the mountains here”, Ross said.

Lightning Rod puts riders in the driver’s seat of Johnny Rev’s newest hot rod.

“It doesn’t go upside down because it doesn’t have to”, Owens said.

The announced project, set to open in 2016, comes a week after Dollywood’s 300-room DreamMore Resort opened.

The coaster will cost a reported $23 million dollars, which is part of a huge $300 million dollar, multi-year investment at the park.

Dollywood officials believe the ride will be among the most anticipated roller coasters worldwide in 2016.