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Carowinds is the premiere entertainment and thrill ride amusement park in the Carolinas.

April 13, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Revitalizing Carolina’s Carowinds

Rehab and restoration case study

By Chad Corley

Carowinds, an entertainment destination in the Carolinas, is undergoing a more than $50 million, multi-year revitalization. Fury 325 – the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster – highlights this renewed energy. The revitalization celebrates the Carolina culture and features aesthetic enhancements to numerous areas of the park, including segmental concrete products from Pavestone installed by Draw Enterprises Inc. and Unit Paving Inc. that installed during an unusually challenging winter.

More than 51,000 square feet of pavers were installed at the Carowinds Main Entrance.

More than 51,000 square feet of Pavestone Holland Stone Parkway Series 80-mm pavers were installed at the Carowinds Main Entrance by Unit Paving, and the 6,000-square-foot Coca-Cola Marketplace and 11,000-square-foot Fury 325 by Draw Enterprise Inc.

Available in dozens of variations, the rectangular, oak blend Holland Stone Parkway pavers with Provencial finish installed at Carowinds helped capture the rustic elegance and simplistic style appreciated in the Carolinas and surrounding region.

Draw Enterprises has installed about 120,000 square feet of Pavestone pavers, retaining walls and benches in various areas of the park.

The snow, rain and freezing temperatures that defined the final stage of the project did not prevent the pavers from being installed in less than a month to welcome Carowinds visitors when the park opened for the 2015 season.

Draw Enterprises is no stranger to completing projects on schedule and within budget at Carowinds, regardless of conditions. During the last eight years, Draw Enterprises has installed about 120,000 square feet of Pavestone pavers, retaining walls and benches in various areas of the park. Installing the pavers around Fury 325 was critical to opening the 2015 season with a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors, so Draw Enterprises ran multiple crews simultaneously on the job, seven days a week, as weather permitted.

Unit Paving deployed three to four five-person crews on the jobsite to complete the main entrance.

Facing the same weather conditions and streamlined schedule, Unit Paving deployed three to four five-person crews on the jobsite, strategically each day, to complete the main entrance, which is one of the park’s largest paver surfaces at 34,000 square feet. Built on a reputation of quality, prompt and dependable service, Unit Paving crews prepped large sections with base sand and bedding sand. These were protected in the process from rain, snow and ice as necessary with sheets of plastic, before installing the pavers.

Carowinds opened to great fanfare thanks the creative planning, hard work and dedication of Draw Enterprises, Unit Paving and their crews. During the last 50 years, Carowinds has evolved from a local, 73-acre park to a 398-acre regional, national and international tourist destination for tens of thousands each year.

Originally published in Masonry magazine.

About the Author

Chad Corley currently serves as Director of Engineering Products for Keystone Hardscapes, David Pitre has over 20 years industry experience in manufactured concrete products. BSCE and MSCE from Louisiana State University. Pitre is Past Chair of the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) and is currently Chair of Board of Trustees for Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute Foundation for Education and Research (ICPIF). He also serves on numerous industry committees and has authored numerous articles related to engineered concrete solutions.

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