Plans for a state-of-the-art roller coaster proposed at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom have gotten a nod of approval from the South Whitehall Planning Commission.

Park officials want to erect a 184-foot-tall coaster powered by a linear induction motor, a type of motor used in rapid-transit trains and conveyor belts as well as amusement rides. The proposed ride would propel up to 28 passengers through a series of corkscrew turns at speeds up to 70 mph.

The township Planning Commission recommended last week that township commissioners grant conditional use for the new ride and approve the land development plans.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. of Sandusky, Ohio, the parent company of Dorney Park and several other premier amusement parks across the nation, has declined to release further information on the coaster. Cedar Fair does not plan to release 2008 capital spending plans for Dorney until October at the earliest, a spokesman has said.

Dorney's other coasters include Hydra, Laser, Steel Force, Talon and ThunderHawk.

In April, Cedar Fair officials received township approval to relocate two areas designated for tall rides to another location in the park to prepare for the the new roller coaster.

The areas had been established in 1998 for two new rides. One ride, Skyscraper, was removed in 2003, and another, Ripcord, was never built.

During a presentation to commissioners in April, Cedar Fair officials used a photo to illustrate the planned coaster, which shows a U-shaped ride with one straight spike and one twisted spike, just like Steel Venom, a ride being removed from the Cleveland area amusement park, Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom.

Cedar Fair owns 12 amusement parks, six water parks and six hotels, including Geauga Lake, a former Six Flags park.

The Web sites Screamscape.com and DorneyOnline.com, which are geared toward amusement park and roller coaster fans, have speculated that Steel Venom is being relocated to Dorney, which Cedar Fair would not confirm.