The Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom is almost fully drained and some scaffolding has been removed from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Rivers of America Draining
The water level of Rivers of America has been slowly dropping since July, following the permanent closure of the Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer’s Island. The Liberty Square Riverboat track is now exposed, as are parts of the river’s floor.
Algae and underwater debris float in the water and stick to the track. There are sloping riverbeds around the island that used to be covered in water. As for the island itself, we haven’t seen construction work for a few weeks.
There are still some fish in the water and birds have taken to wading in the river.
Around set pieces next to the Frontierland pier are large patches of mud. We don’t know how the pier will be affected by the new Cars area that is replacing Tom Sawyer Island.
The netting around the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure flume has given up. A portion of the netting has collapsed to the ground. With the Rivers of America water drained, you can also now see the retention wall for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment
Since our last construction update, some scaffolding has been removed from the top of this spire of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The coaster is closed until 2026 for refurbishment.
Though we can no longer check on the attraction from the riverboat or train, we can still check on ongoing construction from the ground. Crew members have been working in the covered queue.
Doors were installed on the coaster’s new vehicle barn a few weeks ago. Scaffolding is gone from the barn and the doors appear to be operational. There are also lights between the doors. We spotted a crane behind the building, too.
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