Royal Gorge Sky Coaster

When the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park decided to construct a signature "Skycoaster" ride on the edge of the gorge, they engaged LONCO to perform all site-specific structural design. The Skycoaster is a proprietary ride where the participants are secured to cables from a tower over 100-feet high and swing out over the 1,000-foot deep Royal Gorge.

LONCO designed the foundations for the steel towers, the launch platform and the associated building. The foundations for this signature attraction consisted of reinforced concrete footings set into rock. To resist overturning, the footings were anchored to the rock with pretensioned high-strength rock bolts. The exposed portions of the concrete footings were designed with rock facing to blend in with the surrounding terrain.

The launch platform is a steel frame with a concrete deck. This platform had to conform with requirements of the ride manufacturer, as well as with the varying site topography. The platform was designed so that it cantilevers out over the edge of the gorge to provide a dramatic overlook when the platform is used for special events.

Download Project PDF (140 Kb)