Hersheypark's new coaster is an open secret

HERSHEY, Pa. - Few roller-coasters feature more twists and turns than the story surrounding Hersheypark's current top-secret project, Attraction 2012.

And even as the first pieces of the new ride arrive, the park still won't say much about its new roller-coaster. But a few facts have leaked out. Among them is that the ride is being constructed in a section of the park called Comet Hollow and incorporates a section that will twist and turn over Spring Creek.

Zooming over the creek will add thrills to the ride, but it's also a necessity - the park is simply running out of room. For all intents and purposes, Hersheypark is landlocked, bound on each side by township and state roadways.

That could change.

Because even as the park continues to drop hints about its new attraction, in the background are talks among Derry Township, local transportation planners, and the Hershey entities regarding a potential $21.5 million road project.

That road project could allow for a 31-acre expansion of the park - roughly a quarter of Hersheypark's current size.

If completed, it would be the first major expansion of the park's borders in more than a decade.

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts officials said the project had been talked about for years as a possible companion to the Route 743 realignment under way in Hershey.

Those discussions, between the township and the Hershey entities, have picked up in recent months, but any construction is still likely years away.

"It is an interesting project," said Garrett Gallia, associate vice president of public affairs for Hershey Entertainment & Resorts. But "there's a lot of hurdles that need to be cleared before it could move forward."

As for the new roller-coaster, Walter White has been following the latest developments - fictitious Web pages, weird videos, hidden GPS coordinates, a Facebook group he suspects is infiltrated by members of Hersheypark's marketing team - for months. The park even uses a website purportedly belonging to the "Ride Institute of Technology" (http://rideinstitute.com) to provide clues.

"You start to scratch your head and say, 'Wow, that's pretty ridiculous," ' the Lebanon man said.

Still, he acknowledges it was enough to get him hooked.

"It's a well-made propaganda tool," White said. "I remember the days of The Mole on television. . . . Well, welcome to Hersheypark's version of The Mole."

The first structural components of the new roller-coaster arrived last week.

Fans, including Matthew Meckley, one of the founders of www.keystonethrills.com, a local roller-coaster news site, have been busy comparing the recently arrived parts to other roller-coasters around the world.

Meckley said he was expecting a ride similar to Intimidator 305, a NASCAR-theme roller-coaster at Kings Dominion, Va., that reaches 93 m.p.h.