Cobra’s Curse® at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay is an Egyptian archeological excavation themed attraction complete with a live snake exhibit, an 80-foot simulated cobra and a spinning roller coaster ride. The roller coaster ride vehicle is raised by a 90-foot elevator to the upper portion of the 2,100-foot track, and a free-spinning element allows the car to rotate as it move along the track at speeds of more than 40 miles per hour. The project was completed by PCL in two phases. Phase I consisted of the demolition and rerouting of an existing train track rail, in addition to site improvements and access roads for future construction work. Phase II included the new coaster construction and renovation of the existing building housing the ride queue and retail areas.

PCL’s project site was adjacent to high-traffic areas of the theme park, and a 200 linear-foot temporary construction fence needed to be installed for the safety of park guests. The fencing needed to be erected overnight, outside of the park’s hours of operation, and the client desired for the fence to be installed in a single night. To expedite the fence’s construction, PCL had hoarding panels pre-built off-site, and used water-filled barrels for counterweights, in lieu of concrete blocks more commonly used to reinforce temporary construction fencing. The barrels were installed empty and then filled with water using a hose, which reduced the person-hours required to reinforce the fencing from thirty hours to just six hours. This time saving option allowed for the fence to be installed in a single night, meeting the client’s goal and preventing the fence installation from impacting the guest experience.