Newport's planned SkyWheel will break ground next month. The 20-story, 30-gondola Ferris wheel was built in the Netherlands and is awaiting shipment, according to a release from the Newport city manager's office.
It will be built on a pier at Newport on the Levee that's scheduled to be completed by March. The wheel should be operational two months later.
Meanwhile on the other side of the Ohio River, Cincinnati's SkyStar is being replaced with a larger wheel. A Hamilton County spokeswoman says the construction timetable for upgrading the attraction at the Banks is similar to Newport's, and the two wheels will be close to the same size.
