Eye in the sky and friend of the site Bioreconstruct has flown over Magic Kingdom, giving construction watchers the best look yet at early work associated with the Cars-themed expansion of Frontierland, and the upcoming Villains Land. In this article, we’ll take a look at the latest photos, and how this work ties into the draining and demolition of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island.
Magic Kingdom Expansion Project Laydown Yards Land Clearing
We’ll start with one overview photo to give you an idea of what we’re looking at and what we’re talking about when discussing construction laydown yards. As you can see in the photo below, there is a massive amount of land clearing happening west of Magic Kingdom, just beyond the edge of the current theme park space (plus backstage support buildings). The land clearing is happening “behind” Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
So, what is this land clearing for? Right now, it is for support areas for the largest expansion of Magic Kingdom in the park’s history. As you may know, Disney is draining the Rivers of America and demolishing Tom Sawyer Island to make way for a Cars-themed area and a Villains Land. In order for that to happen inside the park, Disney is preparing land outside of the park for construction staging areas and construction trailer offices.
We’ve been covering the work since the first trees were knocked down in late April. Since that late April article, we’ve published more articles, providing updated photos and information about the work:
- Massive Land Clearing Expands as Magic Kingdom Speeds Forward with Cars-Themed Replacement of Rivers of America
- Permit Reveals Plans for Construction Trailer Compound as Rivers of America Replacement Projects Move Forward at Magic Kingdom
- Cars in Frontierland: 18-Acre Land Clearing Continues as Rivers of America Closing Date Nears
- Backstage Land Clearing Grows for Magic Kingdom Expansion Projects
Before we get to more aerial photos, here’s a more detailed look at what’s taking place.
The first permit below shows three points of interest, all west of Magic Kingdom. These three points of interest are three separate “laydown yards”. A laydown yard, in construction terms, is a place to stage or store materials and equipment related to construction. When we last checked in on the project, Walt Disney World was in the process of clearing the “Pilot 2-3” laydown yard. Now, they have nearly cleared the entire “L407-2” laydown yard as well. Photos in a second.
This second permit overlay shows Disney’s intent to add trailers for Walt Disney Imagineering and contractors for an on-site headquarters necessary for the multi-year Magic Kingdom expansion projects. One project, which will begin this Summer, is the draining of the Rivers of America, and the demolition of Tom Sawyer Island.
Following that work, Disney will be able to begin construction of Piston Peak National Park, a Cars-themed expansion of Frontierland that will take up the southern half of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island.
After Piston Peak National Park is built, Disney can focus on creating a Villains Land in the upper 2/3rds of the Rivers of America/Tom Sawyer Island footprint.
Before any of that work can be done, Disney needs to continue clearing the laydown yards, which is where the remainder of this article will focus.
With that background knowledge, we can now take a look at the rest of the aerial photos. We’ll pause on the final aerial photo to provide more context as to why this project is permitted to impact more than 300 acres!
This final aerial photo looks even further west of Magic Kingdom. We can see an extensive land-clearing project taking place. This is for a retention pond as part of a wide-ranging water management effort required following the draining of the Rivers of America. While the Rivers of America was certainly a show element, it played a significant role in water management efforts in the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom.
The Rivers of America is connected to a canal that runs out to the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. Water in and around Magic Kingdom would flow to the Rivers of America and then onto those other bodies of water. With plans to drain the Rivers of America and raise the land, Disney had to ensure that it was being a good water management steward, and it is creating a massive water management venue west of Magic Kingdom.
While this area is completely out of guests’ view from both inside and outside/around Magic Kingdom, it is a required component of the work taking place inside the park.
For everything we know about the Cars-themed expansion to Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, check out our dedicated project page below!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
