Despite some rainy weather, work on the new Test Track awning in EPCOT continues, with tar paper layered over plywood.
New Test Track Awning
All of the entrances to Test Track are still blocked by grey construction walls as work continues on Test Track. While most of the reimagining work is taking place inside the ride’s show building, Test Track is also getting a new overhang over its entrance. The ride’s old canopy structure was demolished only a short time after the attraction was closed for reimagining.
Work on the new awning can be spotted above the construction walls, as it reaches almost the height of the ride track on the side of the building. The plywood for the new structure was just beginning to appear last week. The front and back corners are now covered in the plywood, plus new layers of black tar paper.
The tar paper is the first layer of weather-proofing. It will be followed by sheathing and then the outermost layer of paneling. At least a dozen crew members were actively working on the canopy Tuesday morning.
The curved sides of the awning have yet to be covered in plywood or tar paper, but the structural steel framework is complete. There is also plywood across the top and part of the underside of the overhang. Through the scaffolding and supports, we can see the remains of the old “Single Rider Entrance” text.
On the south side, a crew member was working on the underside of the structure. Here, we can see that it doesn’t quite connect to the actual Test Track building. There is a few feet of separation between the structure and the ride track.
A lift vehicle is parked outside the Test Track SIMporium but was not in use when we visited. There was previously some work on the underside of the track here. The gift shop’s sign remains in place.
Above the Odyssey pavilion, we could see some crew members on scaffolding at the back of the Test Track show building.
The above concept art shows the new Test Track exterior. The new rounded overhang above the attraction’s main entrance is shown as silver and covered with blue lights. The only incorrect aspect of this art is the attraction sign, which was created before Disney announced that Test Track would be reverting to its General Motors sponsorship instead of Chevrolet.
Disney also filed a permit in January for installing new Test Track signage, though we will have to wait and see where the new signs will be located. The art shows a large sign on the ground as well as smaller signs attached to the canopy, so the permit could refer to either.
Test Track is scheduled to reopen in the late summer of 2025.
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