New Jersey got the Statue of Liberty. New York City gets “world’s tallest” Ferris wheel. The Staten Island Wheel will rise 630 ft above New York Harbor. The wheel will not be complete until 2017. The “world’s tallest” Ferris wheel does not come cheap. The price tag of the wheel is said to be $500 million. The Ferris wheel will have 36 capsules that can hold up to 40 people. A full ride will take 38 minutes to complete. That is a total of 1,440 passengers at a time. The New York Wheel is being built the same people who built the London Eye. A Dutch firm by the name of Starneth BV. The NYC Eye is part of a $1 billion redevelopment of St. George, Staten Island. The goal is to have 4 million visitors per year come visit the new tourist detestation. The project will also create 600 permanent jobs.
New York is hoping to get the green building standard certification of LEED Platinum. The firm is toying with the idea using renewable energy sources to power the Ferris wheel, including wind, wave, and solar power. They would sell back any excess power to the grid. There will also be a big 6 acre green roof for concerts and festivals. New York better milk the title “World’s Tallest” Ferris wheel because once the Dubai Eye wheel is built it will own the title. The Dubai Eye Ferris wheel will be 60 ft taller than the New York Ferris wheel.