WILDWOOD – Morey’s Piers is now in the midst of a major project, as it takes down the “Giant Wheel” for a complete refurbishment, including sending its main components to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for a complete overhaul.
According to Megan Lonergan, the marketing coordinator with Morey’s Piers, the Ferris wheel, so-called the Giant Wheel, is one of the largest in South Jersey. Despite its size, 156-feet high, the amusement pier is taking it apart to make sure it is operating safely and securely.
“Safety is always, always, always a priority for Morey’s Piers,” Lonergan said.
Lonergan said all of Morey’s rides undergo regular maintenance, and each year it schedules more in-depth refurbishments on select attractions to ensure they continue to operate safely and efficiently. She gave a recent example of the Nor’easter roller coaster, which, besides a major upgrade to its track system, was painted from red to white.
“They redid the whole paint job,” she said.
The Giant Wheel will also be sandblasted and repainted, but it will remain white, which Londergan said contrasts against the blue sky. However, the most critical part of the rehab is the wheel hub, which is being trucked to the Navy Yard to be fully refurbished. Lonergan said the project team, composed of Morey’s employees and Thatcher Construction, has already removed all the gondolas and lights and is currently working on the disassembly of each spoke.
“Everything will be removed except the main supports,” Lonergan said.
As an aside, Lonergan mentioned that two years ago Morey’s removed the individual lights from the gondolas and installed a new light package, which included LED light strips. LEDs make it easier to program custom lighting on the Giant Wheel. The LED package allows Morey’s to display seasonal images when the park is not open, such as a Halloween pumpkin or Christmas images. The pier also displayed an Eagle image for the 2024 NFL playoffs. Londergan said another image was displayed to promote Alzheimer’s awareness.
The wheel hub, which is the heart of the wheel, will be the final piece to come down and will be transported to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Londergan said the wheel hub should be ready to roll up to Philadelphia in about a week and a half and is scheduled to return in February, when the task of reassembly is expected to begin.
“In the meantime, our team will be sandblasting and painting the spokes and preparing to install all new pins once the hub returns,” Lonergan said.
She said she did not have the actual weight of the wheel hub, but it will be lifted by crane onto the transport vehicle. In fact, she said, a crane is being used throughout the disassembly process.
“This requires a lot from our maintenance team, but it makes sure it runs like it is brand new,” Lonergan said.
So why not go with a brand-new wheel?
“It’s a lot more expensive and time-consuming to buy a brand new wheel,” she said. “Buying a new wheel is many years in the making.”
With the refurbishment, Morey’s hopes to have the Giant Wheel back up and running with a fresh new look by the first or second week of May.
“We anticipate having the Giant Wheel ready to operate again when we reopen for the 2026 season,” Lonergan said.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600 x-128.
