Storm damage to power lines on the causeway

Also Cedar Point facebook page.

Its kinda hard to miss...

CPGuru said:

All arguments aside, let me raise one question for everyone: How much lost profit due to tomorrow's closure could have been prevented had Cedar Point's infrastructure had underground running cables and not wooden power lines? Really, just wondering what that number would be because I'm not very familiar with the industry.

You do realize that those lines aren't the only power supply to the park? Most of the point has power again, yet those lines haven't been fixed. As far as I understood the power lines didn't service much more than the toll booths.

Aside from the power issues, not having the causeway in service would be a major consideration.

The Chaussee certainly was not designed to handle the traffic that CP gets nowadays. Additionally, directing traffic there would be a huge undertaking.

MIcoasterGUY said:

Where did you get this message on Cedar Point's website malem? I have tickets, parking, and fast passes printed for tomorrow and searched the site for park hours, but never got that message, I would like to be sure before I take my 3 hour trek to Sandusky... can anyone help me out, I am planning on heading out at 6:30 a.m. so any news before will hell, I check pointbuzz all the time anyway so a quick double check in the am before I head out wouldn't be a huge deal out of my day lol

When the water main break happened, Cedar Point tickets were accepted at Kings Island while the former was closed. I would also expect tickets to be honored another operating day or (if requested) issued a refund.

To state the obvious: Waldameer, Kennywood or Six Flags Great America could also be options for some.

If only we still had Geauga Lake...

We were in the park when the storm hit. The biggest issue we had was my son and daughter were on the balloon ride in camp snoopy when the rain hit and the ride op had no idea how to interrupt the cycle and do a manual override. My kids were stuck on there while the ride continued. There was another family on the other side of the ride that was screaming to get off and they actually slipped out of their seat lets and climbed out before the ride stopped moving. My kids looked like the had jumped in a lake fully clothed. We ended up having to shelter in the restroom. Once we started out we exited via the chausee. There were branches down the entire length and one huge tree that somehow fell right between two homes but hit neither.

CPGuru said:

I think we can all agree that in the short amount of time they're dealing with, they will go with wooden posts. Steel posts will require planing,

All arguments aside, let me raise one question for everyone: How much lost profit due to tomorrow's closure could have been prevented had Cedar Point's infrastructure had underground running cables and not wooden power lines?.

Wooden posts, steel posts? I have always heard them called utility poles. Isn't a post much shorter than a pole?

Wooden power lines? Really? Again, I always thought a power line was composed of wire. You learn something new everyday--a wooden power line!

Bluestreaker said:

CPGuru said:

I think we can all agree that in the short amount of time they're dealing with, they will go with wooden posts. Steel posts will require planing,

All arguments aside, let me raise one question for everyone: How much lost profit due to tomorrow's closure could have been prevented had Cedar Point's infrastructure had underground running cables and not wooden power lines?.

Wooden posts, steel posts? I have always heard them called utility poles. Isn't a post much shorter than a pole?

Wooden power lines? Really? Again, I always thought a power line was composed of wire. You learn something new everyday--a wooden power line!

English is not my native tongue. You don't have to insult someone you barely know by just a simple forum post (to pun intended). Hope that's another thing you learned today.

From my understanding the main lines that run power to the park are already under the Causeway. The lines you see overhead probably don't supply that much once they hit the peninsula.

Exactly. There is no way that those lines that are similar to a residential neighborhood carry even a fraction of the power needed to operate the park. Odds are that the issue that caused the outage was away from the park, before it reached its feeder lines.

There was one off season (couldn't tell you when...maybe 2003 or 2004?) where the Causeway was down a lane because the road was ripped up for electrical work from about 1st Street all the way up to Blue Streak. Pretty sure this was the main line that work was being done on that winter/spring.

CPGuru said:All arguments aside, let me raise one question for everyone: How much lost profit due to tomorrow's closure could have been prevented had Cedar Point's infrastructure had underground running cables and not wooden power lines? Really, just wondering what that number would be because I'm not very familiar with the industry.

$0, because they'll just open the park for an extra day near the end of the year.

Any of you at the park see any other major damage? I just got this email and we are supposed to check into Lighthouse Tuesday. Im sure hoping the anticipated reopening is correct. Sure cant push it any closer, LOL!

Those lines downed by the storm can indeed carry a huge amount of electricity, easily enough to power a huge section - if not all of CP. Each of the wires on the tops of the poles on either side of the Causeway will be at least 14kv feeders, that is 14000+ volts of AC current. The wires do not need to be as large as wires in your home as the voltage is much higher and therefore they are able to carry many times more current than the 120/240 volt wires in your home are able to.

Also, each one of those individual wires would be carrying the current as its own "circuit". The utility does not have the need for a neutral as they use the grounded side of the transformers and then the Earth itself as the return path to the generators at the utility.

At the end of the Casueway you will see that many of those lines do indeed go underground near the start of the CP parking lot. Those underground lines will feed all of the Green electrical transformer enclosures you can spot throughout the park. Those transformers are what will drop the voltage down to our standard 120/240V, and most likely 480v for the larger motors/pumps.

malem said:

MIcoasterGUY said:

Where did you get this message on Cedar Point's website malem? I have tickets, parking, and fast passes printed for tomorrow and searched the site for park hours, but never got that message, I would like to be sure before I take my 3 hour trek to Sandusky... can anyone help me out, I am planning on heading out at 6:30 a.m. so any news before will hell, I check pointbuzz all the time anyway so a quick double check in the am before I head out wouldn't be a huge deal out of my day lol

When the water main break happened, Cedar Point tickets were accepted at Kings Island while the former was closed. I would also expect tickets to be honored another operating day or (if requested) issued a refund.

To state the obvious: Waldameer, Kennywood or Six Flags Great America could also be options for some.

If only we still had Geauga Lake...

Lmao!!! @GeaugaLake but I just went to KI last Sunday with my niece the day after her prom, last Sunday, minimal waits, so re rode every coaster multiple times, but I guess I am going to KI again tomorrow lol

CPGuru said:

60 years, 100 years, doesn't really matter.

Sure, who cares about being precise? 60, 100, 212, 634 ... same difference.

...it needs to start at it's [sic] bare foundations to support 5+ million guests per year, if not more (I'm sure their goal is 5+ million by year 2100 haha)

You're sure their goal is 5,000,000 based on.....?

And it's okay to invest $60 million in their hotel but not invest proper money in upgrading the electrical infrastructure to make sure their guests are safe?

Hundreds of people stay in the hotel Cedar Fair lavished $60 million on each day. Utility poles on the causeway get knocked over by a storm -- once every 30 or 40 years?

Seems to me the company's priorities are in proper order.

deeturnerjr72 said:
Any of you at the park see any other major damage? I just got this email and we are supposed to check into Lighthouse Tuesday. Im sure hoping the anticipated reopening is correct. Sure cant push it any closer, LOL!

There is no damage to anything on the peninsula, I would not worry at all about your Tuesday reservation. Right now everything in the park looks normal, all of the ride lights and lighting that is normally on is on. Seems like the entire park has power. I bet the Monday closing has more to do with the fact that the Causeway will still be closed than with the power situation.

Were people still able to stay at Breakers and Sandcastle tonight or did they all have to leave today?

Only damage I saw was numerous branches on the ground along frontier trail. The largest being about the size of an average adult arm in diameter and about 10 feet long or so. That was down by Panda Express. Didn't see any damage to any structures or rides and I did walk a full loop of the park after the storm.

Breakers is open, I watched the Cavs game from TGIFridays at Breakers (sad performance by the Cavs). I would think Sandcastle is open as well, no reason it wouldn't be.