Move to Keep Sandy-Stricken Rollercoaster in Ocean

A rollercoaster swept out to sea by Hurricane Sandy may stay offshore as a hulking, rusting ghostly image that Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers hopes will bring tourists to his Jersey Shore town.

The ride is still standing there, right side up and just off shore, and Akers told NBC 4 New York he’s working with the Coast Guard to see if it is stable enough to remain. If it can stay there, it’ll make a “great tourist attraction,” the mayor said.

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Demolition crew have finished rebuilding all the town’s damaged boardwalk, and businesses say they’re rebuilding because they want to be sure families will come back for salt water taffy, days at the beach and everything else that draws visitors to the Jersey Shore landmark.

Akers said the boardwalk construction will begin in January, and will be ready for Memorial Day, when tourists start arriving in droves at New Jersey’s beach towns.