Diggerland breaks ground on first expansion since 2014 opening

Diggerland is always breaking ground. After all, the construction-themed amusement park — the only of its kind in North America — lets adults and children operate tractors, trucks and excavators on 14 acres in West Berlin.Diggerland is always breaking ground. After all, the construction-themed amusement park — the only of its kind in North America — lets adults and children operate tractors, trucks and excavators on 14 acres in West Berlin.

This time it isn’t just fun and games. The heavy machinery in use for the next few months mean business: Diggerland recently broke ground on a multimillion-dollar expansion that will add more than seven acres and five new attractions to the property, including a 700-foot zip line soaring 130 feet off the ground.

In addition to the new rides, the expansion includes an events pavilion, a dining pavilion, more parking infrastructure and upgrades to the Diggerland XL, an adults-focused program where guests get one-on-one heavy machinery instruction — including the opportunity to smash a car with an excavator.

Additional buildings, including guest restroom facilities and a concession stand, are being fabricated from used shipping containers.

“Using the recycled containers as part of the project made lots of sense for us,” said Yan Girlya, co-president of Diggerland. “The ISO sea boxes are already a natural fit for the theme of the park. Our guests appreciate the unique construction motif of the property which we carry from ride design all the way through to infrastructure.”

Diggerland reopens for its fifth season March 17, 2018. Work on the expansion will continue through the off-season to avoid interference with normal park operations. Completion is set for the end of March in time for various spring breaks.