A sinking Matterhorn and ride testing in Disney SoCal

Posted | Contributed by James Disney

The Matterhorn has actually sunk about 6 inches since it has been open. Now, this is not your normal settling either. Let's start at the beginning and say that the rumor that if they were to drain the Sub Lagoon, they say the Matterhorn would tip over like the "Leaning Tower of Pisa". This isn't true. What is true is that Disneyland's water table sits at roughly the 85 foot level below the park. The main support pillars for the Matterhorn sit around the 130 foot level below the ground! I would imagine that when they were first building the Matterhorn that drilling for the footers would've become really easy around the 85 foot level... personally, that would've clued me in to the fact that we should try a different strategy! In the last few MAJOR rehabs of the Matterhorn, I've been told that they've actually been pumping concrete in to the water table area under the Matterhorn. The same water table problem was one of the reasons that the Skyway was closed. The whole story can be found at Westcoaster.net

Link: WestCoaster.net