PHOTO COURTESY KENNYWOOD

Kennywood’s largest roller coaster, the Steel Curtain, is closed for the summer season.

Ricky Spicuzza, the park’s assistant general manager, issued a video statement this week that said the five-year-old coaster will be closed for “an extensive modification project” to ensure it will run long into the future.

“Over the past several months we have worked with third-party engineers and the ride’s manufacturer to come up with a long-term solution to increase its reliability and longevity,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is obviously to ensure that the Steel Curtain will be part of everyone’s Kennywood experience once the ride reopens.”

He said the No. 1 question park employees had fielded from visitors so far this spring was whether the Steel Curtain would open. 

“We understand the frustration many of you have felt not being able to experience the Steel Curtain,” Spicuzza said in the video. “On behalf of our entire team, we absolutely share that frustration with you.”

Reaching a maximum height of 220 feet, the colossal steel structure has offered a 2-minute adrenaline rush, sending riders through 4,000 feet of track with nine inversions at speeds up to 76 mph.  When it opened in 2019, it won the Golden Ticket Award for Best New Roller Coaster. It also set three records at the time: the Pennsylvania State record for tallest roller coaster, the North American record for most inversions and the world record for tallest inversion at 197 feet above the ground.

Spicuzza emphasized in the video that park goers could look forward to other new attractions this summer — the Potato Smash Bumper Cars and a return of the refreshed Turtle Ride and Aero 360, as well as new food operations.