The coaster replaces the JetStar roller coaster that fell into the ocean after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 Watch video
SEASIDE HEIGHTS -- In the years following Hurricane Sandy, the roller coaster submerged in the Atlantic Ocean had become one of the most memorable images of the boardwalk in Seaside Heights' recent history.
But all that is about to change, borough officials predict, with a flashy and thrilling new roller coaster that is ready to make its debut this spring on the boardwalk at Casino Pier.
Named the Hydrus, the twisting, turning steel contraption with a 72-foot vertical drop serves as the new focal point of the popular amusement area still in recovery.
"It's going to bring so many people an families back and that's what Seaside needs," said Maria Mastoris, spokeswoman for Casino Pier. "It's going to be a huge push to getting the tourists back this year."
Except for the installation of the last bolts, construction of the coaster is completed, Mastoris said. Next up is training for operators and testing of equipment, she said. Pier owners are aiming for an April 8-9 opening, but that will depend on whether the state can finish all the inspections by then, she said.
Painted electric green and bright blue, the coaster has 1,050 feet of track built on a new pier that now runs parallel rather than perpendicular to the boardwalk.
Casino Pier in Seaside Heights slowly expanding after Hurricane Sandy
Since Sandy, Casino Pier slowly started bringing rides back annually. By Memorial Day weekend, it should have 25 rides in operation, the most since the storm, Mastoris said.
Included among those rides will be a 131-foot tall Ferris wheel, situated just south of the roller coaster and still under construction. Similar to the Ferris wheel at Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, the wheel at Casino Pier will have a wheelchair accessible gondola, Mastoris said. That attraction should be ready by Memorial Day weekend, she said.
The JetStar was removed from the ocean the same day Prince Harry visited Seaside in May 2013, nearly seven months after Sandy.
Abandoning plans to build a pier extending into the ocean because of cost, Casino Pier owners instead swapped oceanfront property with the borough to build their pier parallel and to the north of the boardwalk.
In the controversial but state-approved land swap, the borough gave up 1.4 acres of beach north of the previous pier in return for an equally-sized plot between Carteret and Sampson avenues and the Dentzel-Loof Carousel. The borough plans to house the historic carousel in a boardwalk museum to be built on its newly acquired plot.
The upper deck of the pier that was destroyed by Sandy and held the JetStar was about 300 square feet. The new expansion over the beach is 225-by-200 feet, Mastoris said.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.