The second half of the track is nearly complete for the still yet-to-be announced roller coaster under construction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. The top hat move out of the second launch is going up as we speak right now!

With a ton of new aerial photos, and some on-the-ground pics, our good friend Bioreconstruct is showing us just how much has changed for this project in the last week. In addition to milestones like the complete 540 being finished over the bypass bridge and the second support for the top hat being erected, we’ve also seen the track switch installed near load for access to the maintenance bay. Check out the complete photo report below, and stay tuned for more theme park coverage coming soon!

The photo above shows how the skyline has changed around the Discovery Center, as seen from Port of Entry near the front of the park.

As always, a big thank you to Bioreconstruct for sharing these amazing photographs with us. Updates like these are only possibly thanks to his generosity, so be sure to follow him on Twitter! And check out our recent podcast, for more information on this coaster and the track layout. Today we will just be focusing on what has changed since our last photo update.

The image above gives you a good overview of the entire coaster area. The 540 rotation segment during the second half of the circuit can be seen on the right side of the image. On the left we can see the maintenance building being enclosed, the framework for the station building going up, and some more track has been installed in several spots.

The image below flips our view. From this reverse angle we can see that this side of the maintenance building is fully enclosed. We can also get a better view of some of the newest track to be installed from this angle.

Zooming into the area, we get a better look at the dive loop track that was just installed today. This move brings us back near the station while placing us upside-down into the ride’s second inversion.

The next image shows what this dive loop section looks like from the ground.

While the most amount of work left to be done is within this area, I did want to point out how the coaster’s second launch tunnel, seen on the right of the image below, lines up with the entrance to the Raptor Encounter meet and greet, on left. You can even see a gray strip of pavement connecting the two areas across the guest pathway!

In the next photo you can see the dive loop near the bottom-middle of the image. To the right of it is the framing for scene one of this coaster. In this scene we will be sent into the ride’s first coaster launch. The launch can be seen as that straight line covered in black plastic. On the very left of this image is the maintenance building, where trains will be stored when not in use. Near the bottom-left is the load stations and some parts of the queue.

Zooming back out in the next photo you can get an idea of how the maintenance building and load station building are connected, in an L-formation.

At the point where the maintenance building and the load building meet a new track switch installed. This switch will allow trains to be brought on or taken off the main line. The rounded track visible in the center of the next image below is leading to/from the maintenance building.

If you look closely at the middle of the next image you can see the track switch itself. And the following image has labels to show you how the two different tracks line up in the photo.

Moving on, the second support for the so-called top hat is being installed. This will be the tallest part of the attraction, and will have us propelled from the second launch straight up to the top, just to come back down again.

Not only is the second support being installed, but the track going up the first support is starting to show up as well!

Here’s a look at both of the top hat supports, first on left and second on right.

The next two ground pics show us the first support with the new track heading up in one, and the second support still under construction in the next.

Next two images show an arrow pointing at work being done on a themed railing along the waterfront.

Once the track connects, this next image shows where you’ll be heading after coming down from the top hat, right in front of the Discovery Center. In the background, near the top of the photo, is the 540 over the bypass bridge, where we are heading next.

After dipping down in front of the Discovery Center, the track then heads back up while also inverting, giving us an upside-down stall as we head towards the Wizarding World side of Islands of Adventure.

We travel around this circle two times, filled with overbanked turns and more, before heading back out over the lagoon, back towards the way we came.

On our way back, right before the ride’s conclusion, we hit a heartline roll over the lagoon in front of the Discovery Center. The next image below shows this roll where the first arrow is pointing. (The second arrow is pointing at the earlier stall inversion.)

That’s all for this construction update for the new Jurassic coaster at Universal Orlando. A big thanks to Bioreconstruct for the amazing photography. If you haven’t yet, check out our recent podcast episode for more rumors and details for this upcoming roller coaster.

Construction is expected to be completed by the spring of next year, and the coaster will hopefully open by the summer of 2021. Stay tuned for continuing coverage on this project as it happens. Subscribe to our news feed or enter your email below to never miss an update!

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