Chip Chipperson
Well-Known Member
Those parks barely see the attendance that WDW and Universal parks do. Universal replaced Hulk for that reason. An indoor coaster like Space Mountain can last a bit longer than that. It's not about how old the attraction is, but how many cycles and the weather conditions it is exposed to.
Space Mountain's track doesn't need to be retracked, but it needs to be replaced for smoother transitions and elements.
Also, Six Flags in NJ closes for the winter, so they have months to do maintenance on rides without most people being aware that it's happening. They also completely replace coasters with new ones more often than WDW. I haven't been to Great Adventure in over 20 years other than their drive-thru Christmas lights display a couple years ago, but I don't believe the rides from my childhood like Great American Scream Machine and Rolling Thunder are all still there. Meanwhile, Space Mountain is 5 decades old. It's only natural for it to need some upkeep beyond the basics after a while.