Busch Gardens announces new spinning coaster, Cobra's Curse, for 2016

Cobra's Curse is expected to open in 2016. (Busch Gardens)

TAMPA, Fla. – Busch Gardens says Cobra's Curse, a spinning roller coaster with a 70-foot descent, is in the works.

Cobra's Curse features a vertical lift that takes riders face-to-face with an 80-foot snake icon, then sends them over the park's Serengeti Plain at speeds up to 40 mph. It's scheduled to open next year.

The spin coaster, in which the seats rotate, is billed as a "family" ride in which riders "discover the mysteries of an Egyptian archeological excavation."

Each trip takes just over 3½ minutes along more than 2,100 feet of track. There are eight cars per ride, with eight riders per car. The height restriction is 42 inches.

Construction began in January in the park's Egypt area.