A recently filed permit has shed some light on Walt Disney Imagineering’s early plans for a trailer compound just west of Magic Kingdom to support the construction of the Cars-themed expansion to Frontierland, and, eventually, a Villains-themed land. The new trailer compound will take over the space where we’ve recently spotted land clearing. Here’s what we know so far.
Construction Trailer Compound for Cars & Villains Land Coming to Magic Kingdom
Back in April, we covered early permits filed by Walt Disney Imagineering to construct a trailer compound for the upcoming Cars-themed expansion to Frontierland, and the Villains-themed land. As you may recall, Walt Disney World received the regulatory green light for the draining and demolition of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island back in February, and Imagineering has been full steam ahead on the project since then.
In April, six permits were filed by Walt Disney Imagineering, covering a number of infrastructure needs for what appeared at the time to be a construction trailer compound. The address for the work is a backstage gate behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The permits covered infrastructure installation such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and trailers. The trailer compound will likely be utilized by Disney project teams and third-party contractors as offices during the work.
Now, a new series of permits filed by Walt Disney World details the early plans for the construction trailer complex. First, a look back at the first permit filed for the draining and demolition of the Rivers of America. We want to draw your attention to the area on the left side of the permit titled “PILOT 2/3 GRAVEL LAYDOWN YARD”. This is where we’ve seen early activity on the project.
A couple of days ago, we spotted some significant land clearing as Disney prepares the space for the early phases of construction. As we noted in our article, this is not where any theme park attractions will be built (at least, not for the next decade or so), but instead, Disney has permitted the space to be a “laydown yard”. That is pretty broad, but it generally refers to a staging area for construction equipment or materials. As it turns out, it will actually be the site of a large parking lot and construction trailers.
In the permit screenshot below for “Project SNK-TL”, we can see that there are two proposed spots for construction trailers, with a third plot held for a future trailer. The permit is for the construction of a potable water connection to the site. The project is estimated at $100,000 and construction will begin in June 2025. Disney estimates that the work will take about a year, wrapping up in May 2026.
Here’s an overlay of the permit on top of a map screenshot to provide some more context on where this construction will be taking place.
Walt Disney World has not announced a closing date for the Rivers of America or Tom Sawyer Island as of publish time.
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