Universal Studios officially opens new Fast & Furious ride

Universal Studios officially opened its new Fast & Furious ride, the theme park's first outdoor roller coaster.

"The debut of this first-of-its-kind roller coaster is a literal game changer for Universal Studios Hollywood, and we look forward to sharing this thrilling experience with fans of the Fast Saga and our guests visiting from around the world," said Scott Strobl, VP and general manager at the park.

Universal Studios' Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has drawn noise complaints from neighbors in Toluca Lake. During its testing phase in July and August, Judith Angel and other residents complained that screams from the amusement park's first outdoor ride carried through their neighborhood.

"There have been times where it is loud, but it isn't every day, all year long," Angel said in July.

In response, Universal said it added more than 900 feet of sound walls, pea gravel to help quiet the track, and designed the coaster cars to rotate so screams won't always face the neighborhood. 

"They told us that they had designed it so that the screams would happen in those tubes," Angel said. "My comment was, I've never seen a roller coaster where you can tell people you can scream here, but don't scream here."

When the complaints continued, Universal said it would install two more sound barriers, which will be complete by opening day, according to Councilman Adrin Nazarian.

Universal Studios thanked its neighbors for their input and said, "We appreciate hearing from them."