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SANTA CRUZ -- Signaling the end of an era, maintenance workers on a Manlift began taking down the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk's Hurricane roller coaster this week.
The blue roller coaster by the ocean will be replaced by the Undertow, a rotating roller coaster being constructed in Germany. The $5.5 million attraction is slated to open by next summer.
The Undertow features two sets of two seats back to back and spins around, offering a different ride each time depending on how weight is distributed in the four seats.
Dismantling the Hurricane began after Labor Day weekend. The roller coaster should be down in the next few weeks according to Kris Reyes, community relations director at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Reyes said while a great deal of work has already been done by a team of three maintenance workers, it may not be visible right away.
"None of the tracks have been removed yet, so if you looked at it while driving by in a car, you probably wouldn't notice it," Reyes said. "They're doing a lot of prep work so removing the tracks goes smoothly."
The Hurricane's last day of operation was Sept. 3, when some visited the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for one final ride. The attraction will be shipped to an amusement park in New Mexico.
The Hurricane opened at the Beach Boardwalk in 1992, providing different turns and twists than the landmark Giant Dipper.
The Hurricane was listed for sale through a broker for $500,000.
The final sales price was not revealed.
The last time the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk added a new ride was in 2010 when the Haunted Castle was redone. Before that, it was the Double Shot in 2005.
