{"id":175969,"date":"2026-03-03T05:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T05:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/175969\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T05:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T05:16:12","slug":"new-pavement-visible-at-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-at-walt-disney-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/175969\/","title":{"rendered":"New Pavement Visible at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our reporter noticed work being finished on the pavement near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ahead of its scheduled spring reopening. The Magic Kingdom ride has been closed since January 2025 for a major refurbishment.<\/p>\n<p>Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment<br \/>\n<a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4093.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384657\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384657 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4093.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384657\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4093.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384657\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4083.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384658\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384658 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4083.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4083.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384658\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Our reporter spotted multiple construction workers at work on the attraction\u2019s entrance, as they also did <a href=\"https:\/\/wdwnt.com\/2026\/02\/big-thunder-mountain-railroad-continues-testing-on-geysers-and-trains-at-walt-disney-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">earlier in February<\/a>. Scaffolding remains up around the entrance as it appears work is continuing throughout the day to ensure a Spring opening, although Disney has not announced a date yet. The ride has been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wdwnt.com\/2025\/11\/big-thunder-mountain-railroad-testing-refurbished-trains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">testing on and off<\/a>\u00a0for a few months. The trains and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wdwnt.com\/2026\/01\/final-track-piece-installed-refurbished-big-thunder-mountain-railroad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">entire track have been replaced<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4085.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384662\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384662 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4085.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384662\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4085.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384662\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4089.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384661\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384661 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4089.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384661\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4089.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384661\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Next to the closed attraction, work can be seen on the former Rivers of America, as it is being turned into Piston Peak. Most notably, as can be viewed below, new concrete is now visible as some of the construction walls have receded back. The brown side of the pavement is the new concrete. For reference, the picture on the right is what it used to look like.<\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4074.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384698\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384698 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4074.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4074.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384698\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4075.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384703\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384703 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4075.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384703\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4075.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384703\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-btmr-wall-1-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384705\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384705 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-btmr-wall-1-1.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"1384705\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-btmr-wall-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384705\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n<a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4081.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384711 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4081.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"2560\" data-eio-rheight=\"1920\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4081.jpg\" alt=\"Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment\" class=\"wp-image-1384711\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Another area is blocked off with a sign indicating strollers are not to be parked in the space.<\/p>\n<p>Big Thunder Mountain Railroad should\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wdwnt.com\/2025\/12\/disney-announces-opening-timeframe-for-reimagined-big-thunder-mountain-and-buzz-lightyears-space-ranger-spin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">reopen this spring<\/a>. Changes include an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wdwnt.com\/2025\/08\/new-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-opening-scene\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">updated opening scene<\/a>\u00a0with a transformation of the Rainbow Caverns, refreshed Audio-Animatronics, and gold props. Here is the concept art of the new Rainbow Caverns opening scene:<\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-concept-art-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" alt=\"Concept art of new Rainbow Caverns scene in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World\" class=\"wp-image-1378915 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-concept-art-1.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1920\" data-eio-rheight=\"1080\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-concept-art-1.jpg\" alt=\"Concept art of new Rainbow Caverns scene in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World\" class=\"wp-image-1378915\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The trains will enter the Rainbow Caverns, full of hundreds of bats, phosphorescent pools, and shimmering stalagmites and stalactites.<\/p>\n<p><a data-fslightbox=\"1\" data-type=\"image\" aria-label=\"Open fullscreen lightbox with current image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-concept-art-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"835\" alt=\"Concept art of new Rainbow Caverns scene in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World\" class=\"wp-image-1378917 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-concept-art-2.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1920\" data-eio-rheight=\"835\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"835\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/wdw-mk-big-thunder-mountain-railroad-concept-art-2.jpg\" alt=\"Concept art of new Rainbow Caverns scene in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World\" class=\"wp-image-1378917\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Thunder will then rumble as the scene changes to something menacing as the mountain \u201cfights back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Watch our POV of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from before its closure below:<\/p>\n<p>Are you counting down the days until you can ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again? Let us know on social media.<\/p>\n<p>For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wdwnt.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">WDW News Today<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wdwnt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WDWNewsToday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">Facebook<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wdwnt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" aria-describedby=\"external-link-warning\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our reporter noticed work being finished on the pavement near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ahead of its scheduled&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":175970,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[83218,75590,83217,139,141,140,58250,60671],"class_list":{"0":"post-175969","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-big-thunder-mountain","9":"tag-construction-update","10":"tag-frontierland","11":"tag-orlando","12":"tag-orlando-headlines","13":"tag-orlando-news","14":"tag-railroad","15":"tag-refurbishment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}