As part of some last-minute work to get Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ready for a May 3rd reopening, crews are getting ready to cut up some newly installed pavement in front of the attraction’s entrance. We’ve been tracking the work a bit during our recent visits to Magic Kingdom, including the installation and then removal of Lightning Lane tappoints at the attraction’s entrance. Here’s the latest.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Pavement Repairs & Lightning Lane Tappoints
What does pavement have to do with a soft opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Let’s investigate. While visiting Magic Kingdom this morning, we stopped by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the construction walls that are still standing in front of the attraction. We expect that they’ll be removed any day now, and we were a bit surprised that they haven’t been removed already. We’ll learn more when hopping on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but we’ll start on the ground for now.
The new-look pavement can now be found expanded beyond the construction walls and into the intersection between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. That said, there is still a lot of work should Disney want to expand the new-look pavement to make the area a bit more cohesive.
Nearby, there is some construction happening, likely between the Piston Peak National Park construction site on one side of the walls and some infrastructure in a planter on the guest side of the walls.
Earlier this month, we were interested in the arrival of new construction walls behind the current set of construction walls. It signaled, we argued, that Disney was getting ready to reopen the walkway, and maybe even the ride.
During our visit to Magic Kingdom this morning, we snapped a few more photos of the construction walls, now installed and ready to be put to use. There’s only one problem – pavement repairs. We’ll be able to see more from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in a minute.
Turning back the clock one week, we found ourselves riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure for a sneak peek at a thick concrete wall in the Piston Peak National Park area. Another noteworthy item that we spotted was the installed Lightning Lane tappoints. As you can see in the photo below, taken April 13th, the tappoints were installed and ready to go – maybe a good sign for soft openings or previews of some sort.
Well, while riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure this morning, we noticed that the tappoints were removed and there were sawing marks in the pavement – an indication that it will soon be demolished. Of course, it’s unclear what the reason is for needing to cut into and remove fresh pavement, but we assume it has something to do with the removed Lightning Lane tappoints.
Whatever the reason, the work is a minor setback, but it’s likely the reason that the construction walls are not down yet. As you can see in the photos above, the second layer of construction walls is installed and ready to go. Those construction walls will be present for the next few years as crews build Piston Peak National Park nearby.
As for soft openings, it’s possible that the pavement work could be a setback for planned soft openings, but Disney hasn’t announced any preview opportunities yet. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen in less than two weeks, and while we’ve seen Cast Members riding the attraction in recent days, there are no announced previews.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!