THE STEEL CURTAIN IS REOPENING TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON MAY 24. | PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK

Kennywood Park’s Steel Curtain will start rolling again for the general public on May 24 — just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Pennsylvania’s tallest roller coaster with nine inversions has been closed since April 2024 for “an extensive modification project.” 

The park decided to shut down the 220-foot-tall ride, which had opened in 2019, after several breakdowns so it could overhaul the structure to provide more reliability and longevity, Kennywood General Manager Ricky Spicuzza said at the time.

“Kennywood fans should get ready to reach speeds of nearly 80 miles per hour as they tackle every twist, turn, and touchdown-level drop starting this Memorial Day Weekend,” Spicuzza said in a statement. With a heightened focus on the Steel Curtain’s reliability, this summer guests can expect to hop on for a ride during every visit to Kennywood.”

During the modification, the park worked with the ride’s manufacturer, S&S Worldwide, and third-party engineers to add three new columns and additional braces throughout the ride to decrease structural movement. This ultimately will allow the coaster to make more cycles throughout its lifespan.

The ride experience should be the same for coaster fans who have come to love the 2-minute ride that reaches 76 mph along 4,000 feet of track.

When it opened in 2019, the Steel Curtain won the Golden Ticket Award for Best New Roller Coaster. It also set records: the North American record for most inversions and the world’s record for tallest inversion at 197 feet above the ground.

The ride will reopen after an 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony to be attended by current and  former Steelers. Gold and Platinum season passholders will get exclusive first-ride time on the coaster on Friday, May 23.