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Mayor Michael Bloomberg Opens The 'Scream Zone' In Coney Island

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Coney Island has opened its first new roller coasters since the famed Cyclone was built in the 1920s.

1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reports: Are You Ready To Enter The Scream Zone?

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg helped launch four new thrill rides, known collectively as the "Scream Zone,'' Wednesday.

Coney Island Scream Zone
The Slingshot, one of the rides featured in Coney Islands Scream Zone (credit: Edward Reed/Flickr)

One of the thrill rides, called the "Sling Shot," shoots two riders more than 150 feet into the sky at more than 90 miles per hour before freefalling back to Earth.

"I felt like I was flying -- like anything that I could do was possible," said 14-year-old Binta Lee.

Other rides include the Steeplechase, Soarin' Eagle and Zenobio. (Check out all the rides here)

The amusement park by the Brooklyn boardwalk had fallen into disrepair over the years.

The city has invested more than $6 million toward the opening of Luna Park and Scream Zone. It was created by 10 engineering firms in the United States and Italy at a cost of nearly $30 million.

The mayor predicts this summer will draw the biggest number of visitors to Coney Island in more than a half century.

The rides will open to the public on weekends only, however, because many children are out of school on break it will be open this Thursday and Friday.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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