Construction is well under way on a $550 million theme park in Frisco, Texas that is designed specifically for families with young children.
Longtime GPRS safety partner, Balfour Beatty is overseeing construction, and Architecture firm Gensler helped design Universal Kids Resort – Universal Destinations & Experiences’ first-ever theme park designed specifically for families with young children.
Located off the Dallas North Tollway, the park will feature “immersive themed lands that celebrate Universal’s iconic brand of entertainment, humor and fun...” as well as a “300-room themed hotel giving families a place to stay and to play following their day of adventure,” according to a press release issued by Universal.
Groundbreaking occurred in November 2023, and construction is expected to be complete by May 2026.
Universal Kids is designed to be significantly smaller than Universal’s other theme parks across the globe. The feel and scale of this new park is designed with younger children and their families in mind, including family-friendly attractions, interactive shows, and character meet and greets.
"Universal Kids Resort will inspire the unbridled creativity of kids through imagination, discovery and most importantly – play," said Molly Murphy, President, Universal Creative. "We're designing the resort so kids and families can feel the thrill of being physically immersed in their most beloved stories and characters."
Universal says that the resort will create thousands of jobs, including more than 2,500 new construction jobs. The City of Frisco expects the company to invest at least $550 million to build the new resort, according to an Axios report.
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with the city of Frisco and Mayor Cheney as we work to bring this innovative, new concept to life designed specifically for a younger generation of Universal fans,” Page Thompson, President, New Ventures, Universal Parks & Resorts, said in a press release issued by the City of Frisco. “We think North Texas is the perfect place to launch this unique park for families given its growing popularity within this part of the country.”
While Universal Kids Resort is not as big as Universal’s other offerings around the world, the construction of a brand-new theme park of any size is a monumental undertaking that requires careful planning and design – and equally careful attention to detail when excavating.
“Project teams must work safely around tight timelines with rigid deadlines, manage a diverse group of stakeholders and grapple with evolving technology. All the while, they must align with the sponsor's ultimate goal: to deliver thrills that keep crowds coming back for more,” reports the Project Management Institute on theme parks.
The more accurate the as-built information created while a theme park or attraction is under construction, the greater chance of mitigating subsurface damage during construction, and any future operations & maintenance or renovations.
GPRS offers a comprehensive suite of subsurface damage prevention, existing conditions documentation, and construction & facilities project management services designed to keep projects of any shape or size on time, on budget, and safe.
We utilize ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic (EM) locating, remote-controlled sewer scope rovers, acoustic leak detection equipment and leak detection correlators to protect your buried utilities from the dangers of subsurface damage – and inspect that infrastructure for defects in the process. And our 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry services help you plan intelligently without even having to be physically on site.
All this accurate, field-verified data is available to you 24/7 thanks to SiteMap® (patent pending), GPRS’ facility & project management application that provides existing conditions documentation to protect your assets and people.
From skyscrapers to sewer lines, GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® to keep your projects on time, on budget, and safe.
What can we help you visualize?
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I get when I hire GPRS to perform a utility locate?
Our Project Managers flag and paint our findings directly on the surface. This method of communication is the most accurate form of marking when excavation is expected to commence within a few days of service.
GPRS also uses a global positioning system (GPS) to collect data points of findings. We use this data to generate a plan, KMZ file, satellite overlay, or CAD file to permanently preserve results for future use. GPRS does not provide land surveying services. If you need land surveying services, please contact a professional land surveyor. Please contact us to discuss the pricing and marking options your project may require.
Can you find PVC piping and other non-conductive utilities?
GPR scanning is exceptionally effective at locating all types of subsurface materials. There are times when PVC pipes do not provide an adequate signal to ground penetrating radar equipment and can’t be properly located by traditional methods. However, GPRS Project Managers are expertly trained at multiple methods of utility locating.
Can GPR verify known measurements?
We are able to use GPR to cross-check the measured depth and location of a located utility with existing as-built plans in order to verify the accuracy of plans.
