The Orlando skyline continues to change and this week marks a major milestone in the construction of the Orlando Eye, with the arrival and installation of the observation wheel’s 80,000-pound hub, the approximate weight of a Boeing 737 plane. The hub will expand the size and scope of the attraction. The Eye’s A-frame structure can currently be seen from miles around.
The hub, which was built overseas, made a transatlantic journey last week to the U.S., and was transported by road to the Orlando Eye’s construction site on International Drive. A custom piece of equipment, the Tenex 600-ton mega wing mobile crane has been assembled on the construction site for the hub’s installation.
Once the work on the hub is complete, it will allow for the Orlando Eye’s rotating structure to be built, which will notably increase the size and scope of the entire structure. It will become the centerpiece of the attraction, eventually holding up the spokes, or trusses, and capsules.
The Orlando Eye is scheduled to open Spring 2015. You can see our previous story here.