Is Kennywood's Expansion in Jeopardy?

Which park do you mean by DW? I thought DW was in Tennessee.

Same here. Or is there another park I'm neglecting to think about?

Oh, Yes! You mean Dutch Wonderland. Let's get our acronyms correct so we don't confuse it with Dollywood. The same goes for Conneaut Lake Park and Canobie Lake Park.

RGB, wasn't directed at you, I know you were joking ... Arthur was taking it a bit seriously, but since he's one of those amazing competent n00bs we appreciate around here, I cut him some slack ;)

Ah okay, Dutch Wonderland. I didn't recognize the abbreviation because I don't think I've ever seen Dutch Wonderland abbreviated before! I haven't been there since Sky Princess first opened, I should probably go back at some point.

As far as not living near a Six Flags park is concerned, there isn't one anywhere in PA. Our state doesn't need their outrageous food and drink prices, their $15 parking, or their pay to cut system.

That's what is so nice about parks like Kennywood and Knoebels. They don't have any of this. I wish that every Six Flags had a park like this nearby.

^Not to mention parks that give free parking and food discounts with SP for free, thank you Hershey, because of of those discounts you get an extra day of me being there to buy chocolate and one meal.

What the hell is this topic about?

Another road project in the Pittsburgh area.

The main point here is that the sooner the road project moves ahead, the sooner KW adds that next big coaster. They have given the indication that at least one and maybe two such rides could be on the way. This won't happen, however, if the park can't generate the additional attendance that is needed to support them.

Pittsburgh is not a growing market and while the local base is very loyal to KW, the park has to look to other places such as Ohio for future growth. The road situation around the park is a confusing mess for those who are not from the area. The famous yellow arrows are of some help but one wrong turn and you can be in some of the worst neighborhoods in the area. The new road is considered the key to the growth in attendance that KW needs. If it goes in, the park expects attendance to grow by about 30% justifying a comparable growth in the park.

Is this road supposed to connect 376 and 79 south of the city? More importantly, will they put yellow arrows on the new expressway?

Gee, I don't know. I thought the roads in the area were fascinating. I must admit I've never seen a road sign with FOUR different left turns at the same intersection.

It will connect I-376 to I-70, east of Washington, PA. When finished, it will connect the east hills of Pittsburgh (Monroeville) with Morgantown, WV, going right past Kennywood. Just across the river from Kennywood, the highway will split. One section heading to Monroeville and the PA Turnpike, the other section travelling along the Monongahela River across from Sandcastle and the Waterfront until it connects with I-376 near downtown Pittsburgh.

Thanks, Dave. It sounds like they're really going to be squeezing it in. Are they condemning a lot of properties for the highway right-of-way?
That and environmental studies can really make a highway budget explode.

Yea, there's a lot of property acq that's causing problems, but they're also going to be doing things like hanging it off a cliffside out over the river and stuff. Pretty creative design actually from what I've seen in conceptual stuff. The environmental and the fights over property acq are as far as I know, mostly complete, so that's why I think this is all just alarmist journalism with no real fact behind it because there's just been way too much work put into making this thing work, despite citizen concerns and the DEP or EPA, for it to just get shelved now. They'll find some way to make it work.

Is there a link to a site that details the freeway? I'd love to see how it's going to fit into the existing neighborhoods. I'm always interested in seeing plans for construction projects...

Try http://www.pahighways.com/toll/PATurnpike43.html

If the highway does not go through, one thing the state could do is to exempt amusement parks and waterparks from local amusement taxes. They did this for ski areas and auto racetracks and these facilities do not get the broad patronage that the parks get. Why should amusement park goers be required to give a free ride to residents of some small communities? KW is fighting West Mifflin in court over this issue.

Maybe if this is done, KW will do a partial expansion by just adding a new coaster. This could be important down the road in staying competitive with a revived GL.

Also, removing this unfair tax from parks would give a boost to Conneaut Lake Park in their effort to survive.

Here's a map from the PA Turnpike Commission http://www.paturnpike.com/monfaysb/largemap.htm

The route in yellow is the proposed route near Kennywood.