Capital Wheel

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Not to be confused with the Capital Wheel of Manchester, UK.

The Capital Wheel is a Ferris wheel at National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington, D. C., in the United States. It opened on May 23, 2014.[1]

Capital Wheel, National Harbor
Capital Wheel has 42 climate-controlled gondolas. The wheel has 1.6 million LED lights, fully programmable.

The wheel was conceived by National Harbor developer Milton Peterson and inspired by the Roue de Paris.[2] Built by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas, it has an overall height of 180 feet (54.9 m)[3] and sits on a 770-foot-long (230 m) pier extending into the adjacent Potomac River, easily visible to passengers on flights to or from National Airport.[2] Landmarks visible from inside the wheel include the National Harbor, the Washington Monument, the city of Alexandria, and Georgetown University.[4] The 165-foot (50.3 m) diameter wheel carries 42 climate-controlled passenger gondolas, each able to seat eight people, including a VIP gondola that can be rented for weddings or celebrations.[2] The wheel has programmable special-effects lighting and seasonal concessions at the base of the ride from the Wolfgang Puck restaurant chain.[2]

The entire structure is 175 (52.6 m) feet tall.[5]

Design and construction[]

The Capital Wheel arrived at National Harbor by two of 's barges on February 18, 2014, pushed by a tugboat from Baltimore to National Harbor via the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. [5] Smith's Shipyard provided the 1,300 horsepower tug, named The Rising Sun and measuring 60 feet long by 22 feet wide (18.3m by 6.7m). [6] Flexifloat made the two barges that Cianbro used to transport The Capital Wheel, one for the materials, measuring 50 feet (15.2m) wide by 140 feet (42.7m) long by 7 feet (2.1m) deep, and one for the crane that lifted the components from the barge to the pier, measuring 60 feet (18m) wide by 120 feet (35.6m) long by 7 feet (2.1m) deep. Cianbro's Manitowoc 4100 Series 2 crane has a maximum lifting capacity of 460,000 pounds. [7]

The materials barge carried 280,000 pounds (127kg) of galvanized steel base and tower legs and other miscellaneous components weighing 120,000 pounds (54.4kg) for The Capital Wheel. [8]

The Capital Wheel weighs approximately 320 tons (281,227kg), exclusive of the base, which weighs an additional 140 tons (127,006kg). The structure's eight legs support a 95-foot (29m) axle, which took a full day to install. Cianbro attached the Swiss-made passenger gondolas four at a time to the wheel structure, followed by a 90-degree wheel rotation, until wheel was fully assembled. [9]

Four 50-horsepower variable drive units rotate the Wheel at a speed of 1.5 rotations per minute. Each passenger ride lasts 12-15 minutes. The Capital Wheel has 1.6 million LED lights with a spectrum of 16,387,064 colors. [9]

Passenger gondolas[]

The Capital Wheel has 42 climate-controlled gondolas, including one VIP gondola, and can carry 336 passengers at maximum. CWA Construction, a Swiss manufacturer, built the passenger gondolas that Cianbro installed for The Capital Wheel. [5]

Each glass-enclosed gondola weighs 1,500 pounds (680kg), measures approximately 6 feet long by 5 feet wide by 5 feet high (1.8m by 1.5m by 1.5m) and holds eight passengers or up to 1,380 pounds (626kg).

The gondolas have interior lights and two-way, individual communication with the operator, and their doors open facing the harbor, for an unobstructed view of the Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, Alexandria, Virginia, and Prince George's County, Maryland. [9]

Ride Availability and Cost[]

On its regular schedule as of December 2020, the Capital Wheel is open from noon to 8 P.M. Monday through Thursday and 10 A.M. to 8 P.M. Friday through Sunday. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $13.50 for seniors, and $11.25 for children. The VIP gondola costs $50 and can seat 4 people.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Marylou Tousignant. "Capital Wheel Soars High As It Spins" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Thomas Heath and Jonathan O'Connell. "Is Monumental Washington Area Ready for the Capital Wheel at National Harbor?" WashingtonPost.com. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  3. ^ Erin Corneliussen. "A New 180-foot Observation Wheel Opens Near Washington, D.C." Smithsonian Magazine. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Capital Wheel National Harbor | National Harbor Ferris Wheel". National Harbor. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  5. ^ a b c "National Harbor's Capital Wheel Arrives in Prince George's County" NBC Washington. 18 Feb 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Marine Towing" Archived December 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Cianbro Moves "Capital Wheel" Base Steel from Baltimore to D.C. Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. 20 Feb 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. ^ "The Capital Wheel". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  9. ^ a b c "Capital Ferris Wheel En Route to National Harbor "CBS Washington". 18 Feb. 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.

External links[]

Coordinates: 38°47′8.2″N 77°1′8.9″W / 38.785611°N 77.019139°W / 38.785611; -77.019139

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