Crew members are starting to install the new Test Track entrance canopy with plywood. The EPCOT attraction is closed for a major reimagining.
Test Track Construction
The old canopy was removed soon after the attraction closed last summer. Crews began to install supports for the new canopy in early December. It has a rounded front and juts out of the building just above the entrance doors.
Red plywood panels now cover the front center of the awning’s framework. Crew members were working on other parts of the overhang that had not been enclosed yet. Scaffolding completely surrounds the structure.
At the corner, a coil of wires hangs under the overhang, possibly for lights. The frame is made of various sized steel beams.
From the Walt Disney World Monorail, more of the construction site is visible. There haven’t been many changes on the ground since our last update. Disney filed a permit for a new Test Track sign in early January, but it hasn’t been installed yet.
There are long pieces of steel staged next to the dirt patch that held the old sign. The poles stacked on the other side are pieces of scaffolding.
A lift vehicle is parked next to the canopy, between the main entrance and gift shop.
Earlier during construction, there was some work on the underside of the track above the Test Track SIMporium entrance. This paneling has all been replaced. Part of the wall next to the shop entrance has been torn away. Exposed steel supports are visible behind a ladder.
The concept art above gives us an idea of what the new canopy and sign will look like. However, the concept art shows “Presented by Chevrolet” on the sign but we now know Test Track will revert to its original General Motors sponsorship. The new version of Test Track will celebrate the history of advancements in transportation, drawing inspiration from World of Motion, the opening-day EPCOT attraction it replaced in 1999. Test Track previously received a major reimagining in 2012. It will reopen this summer.
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