Mountain. Superman: The Escape is high and its speed is ; however, it is a shuttle roller coaster, not a complete-circuit roller coaster. Construction started in August 1999 when the site was cleared. Millennium Force was built in the Frontier Trail section of the park. The ride involved the relocation of the Giant Wheel and the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad. The removal and relocation of the Giant Wheel began in October on closing day; the first of 226 supports was installed on October 11, starting at the brake run. Two hundred twenty-six footers, each about deep were dug; the largest ones were . The concrete construction was done by Mosser Construction. The lift hill was topped off in early January 2000. The ride's construction took seven months, and 120 construction workers and project managers participated. Testing took two months. The park conducted a "pull-through" by pulling a train along the course to ensure proper clearance. The ride was inspected and tested with water-dummies on the trains. Opening and modifications The first media event was held on May 11, 2000, and the ride opened to the public two days later on May 13. When it opened, it broke six world records. It was the first Giga Coaster and was the world's fastest complete-circuit roller coaster, but was later overtaken by other rides. The ride was so popular that guests consistently waited three to four hours to board. About a month after Millennium's debut, Cedar Point introduced a virtual queue system, "Ticket to Ride", which allowed visitors to buy a ticket then return later and wait in a shorter line. In August, Cedar Point engaged John Hancock and Associates and Stalker Radar of Indianapolis to measure the height and speed of Millennium Force. The height was measured at , and the speed was measured at , slightly faster than what the park had been advertising (). Before the start of the 2004 season, Millennium Force's seat belts were modified because of an incident that occurred on Superman the Ride, a similar roller coaster at Six Flags New England. The new seat belts were shorter and some riders had difficulties with them. The roller coaster's layout was repainted over a three-year period, before the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons. In 2012, the park added a new LED lighting system. For the 2020 season, following the COVID-19 pandemic, timed boarding passes called