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High Roller (Ferris wheel)

Coordinates: 36°07′04″N 115°10′05″W / 36.117698°N 115.16815°W / 36.117698; -115.16815
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High Roller
High Roller
High Roller construction as of September 2013
Map
General information
StatusUnder construction
TypeObservation wheel
LocationLas Vegas Strip, Paradise, Nevada
Construction startedSeptember 2011
OpeningEarly 2014
Height550-foot tall (167.6 m)[1][2]
Dimensions
Diameter520-foot (160 m)[3]
Design and construction
EngineerArup Engineering[3]

The High Roller is a 550-foot tall (167.6 m),[1][2] 520-foot (160 m) diameter[3] giant observation wheel currently under construction on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. When completed, the High Roller will become the world's tallest and largest observation wheel,[4][5] dwarfing the world's current tallest, the Singapore Flyer, at 541 ft (165 m).[6]

The High Roller was announced in August 2011 as the centerpiece of Caesars Entertainment's $550 million shopping, retail, and entertainment development "The LINQ"[7] on the Las Vegas Strip.[5] Construction and development of The Linq and High Roller began in September 2011.[8] The project was expected to be completed in late 2013, but in February 2013 it was reported that the project was behind schedule and is not expected to be completed until the second quarter of 2014.[9] The outer rim of the wheel was completed on September 9, 2013.[10]

High Roller under construction, March 2013

Arup Engineering, which previously engineered plans for the development of Singapore Flyer, is responsible for the High Roller's structural plan.[3]

The High Roller is located across Las Vegas Boulevard from Caesar's Palace, behind The Quad Resort and Casino (formerly the Imperial Palace) and the Flamingo Las Vegas on the site of the former O'Sheas Casino.[4] A full rotation of the wheel is expected to take about 30 minutes.[5]

Construction

High Roller's wheel comprises 28 sections, each 56 feet (17 m) long and weighing 44,000 pounds (20,000 kg). The final section of the outer rim was installed in early September 2013. Each section was temporarily held in place by a 275-foot (84 m) radial strut, later replaced by four cables.[11]

Main bearings

High Roller will rotate about a pair of custom-designed bearings, each weighing approximately 19,400 lb (8,800 kg), the largest spherical roller bearings ever produced by the SKF manufacturing facility in Gothenburg, Sweden. They have an outer diameter of 7.55 feet (2.30 m), an inner bore of 5.25 feet (1.60 m), and a width of 2.07 feet (0.63 m).[12]

Passenger cars

High Roller's passenger cars will be mounted outside the rim of the wheel and individually turned by electric motors to keep the floor horizontal throughout each 30-minute rotation.[13] This style of passenger car is usually referred to as a passenger capsule, but in High Roller's case the term passenger cabin is also widely used.

Early reports stated that High Roller was to have 32 passenger cars, each able to carry up to 40 people,[8] but later reports reduced this to 28 cars, again able to carry 40 people, giving a total capacity of 1,120 passengers.[4][14]

Each 225 square feet (20.9 m2)[3] transparent spherical cabin[5] will weigh approximately 44,000 pounds (20,000 kg), have a diameter of 22 feet (6.7 m), includes 300 square feet (28 m2) of glass and be equipped with eight flat-screen televisions and an iPod dock.[15][14][4] To be supplied by Leitner-Poma of America and designed by French sister company Sigma, they are due to delivered to Caesars by November 2013.[4] Parent company Poma supplied, and Sigma also designed, the passenger capsules for the London Eye.[14][4]

Competing proposals

Skyvue
Main article: Skyvue

The Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel[16] is currently under construction. Originally announced as being 145 m (476 ft) tall,[17][4] it has since been reported to be 150 m (492 ft)[18] and 152.4 m [1][2] (500 ft).[19][20] Announced at a media event and groundbreaking ceremony in May 2011 by Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments, who stated "We expect it to be up and running in time for New Year's 2012",[17][21] the completion date has since been put back several times. In July 2012 it was reported that the opening was scheduled for New Year's Eve, 2013.[22]

Voyager

The 600-foot (180 m) Voyager[23] has been proposed several times for Las Vegas, but never built.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c Las Vegas to build world's tallest observation wheel
  2. ^ a b c World's tallest observation wheel coming to Las Vegas
  3. ^ a b c d e Caesars pushing forward with High Roller observation wheel
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Colorado's Leitner-Poma to build cabins for huge observation wheel in Las Vegas
  5. ^ a b c d A vital Linq for Las Vegas
  6. ^ About Singapore Flyer
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ a b Las Vegas plans to top London Eye with massive Ferris wheel
  9. ^ Hurricane Sandy drives quarterly losses for Caesars
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ [3]
  12. ^ "SKF Wins Contract for Caesars Las Vegas High Roller Wheel". Design News. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  13. ^ Colorado Company To Build Las Vegas Observation Wheel
  14. ^ a b c High-flying deal for Leitner-Poma
  15. ^ [4]
  16. ^ Skyvue Las Vegas to Soar 500 Feet above Strip - For Immediate Release
  17. ^ a b High stakes for dueling Vegas observation wheels
  18. ^ skyvuelasvegas.com
  19. ^ Developers begin next construction phase for SkyVue's 500-foot wheel
  20. ^ SkyVue Las Vegas Observation Wheel Completes First Phase Of Construction, Breaks Ground On Retail & Dining District
  21. ^ Dueling mega-Ferris wheels in Vegas
  22. ^ World's tallest observation wheel given the green light to be a high roller on Vegas strip
  23. ^ Voyager Entertainment International, Inc.
  24. ^ Voyager Las Vegas

36°07′04″N 115°10′05″W / 36.117698°N 115.16815°W / 36.117698; -115.16815

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