Popular Thunder Road roller coaster demolished at Carowinds

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — A roller coaster that generated screams and smiles for nearly 40 years is no more.

Multiple media outlets report the wooden roller coaster Thunder Road was demolished Thursday at Carowinds amusement park near Charlotte. The demolition is part of a $50 million renovation plan for the park.

The roller coaster passed through both North Carolina and South Carolina at top speeds of 45 mph during a ride lasting more than two minutes.

The massive roller coaster required more than a half-million feet of treated lumber to construct before it opened in 1976, three summers after Carowinds opened.

Carowinds announced earlier this year it would tear down Thunder Road due to declining ridership and to make way for newer attractions.

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