The roller coaster was announced in July 2018 following a two-phase teaser campaign dubbed "Project 412" that generated publicity for the ride.

Steel Curtain received Amusement Today magazine's Golden Ticket Award for Best New Roller Coaster in 2019.

[15] Kennywood drained its lagoon and closed its Paddle Boats attraction so workers could lay the ride's footers.

[16] Vertical construction began that November,[17] and the front car of a train was placed on display at the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions exposition in Orlando, Florida.

The test runs, which largely used weighted dummies, were intended to simulate a wide range of real-life conditions.

[36][37] In April 2024, Kennywood announced that Steel Curtain would not operate for the entire 2024 season due to a planned "extensive modification project".

[38][39] The park's assistant general manager, Ricky Spicuzza, stated that the goal of the project is to create a long-term solution that will increase the ride's "reliability and longevity".

[2] The ride reaches a maximum speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and lasts two minutes, although a large portion of that duration is spent on the lift hill.

[44] When it opened, Steel Curtain featured the tallest inversion in the world: a dive drop measuring 197 feet (60 m) high,[45][46] a record it still holds as of 2024.

[26][3] Steel Curtain is located within Kennywood's 3-acre (1.2 ha) Steelers Country area,[47] which, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was "believed to be the first pro sports team tie-in at an amusement park".

[48] Steel Curtain's construction required 152 concrete footers, 113 pieces of track that weighed 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) each, and over 21,000 bolts.

Each train is painted black with yellow, matching the colors of the track and supports, with white stripes to resemble a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey.

It veers left again and enters a banana roll, an element named after its characteristic shape, which raises the train to its second-highest point off the ground.

[13][23] Riders descend low to the ground once more into a small airtime hill heading back toward the first drop, entering a sea serpent element with two more inversions.

This is followed by an airtime hill and the coaster's sixth inversion, a dive loop that turns the train 180 degrees and sends it back toward the station.

"[46][51] A reporter for WGN-TV wrote: "What's really special about this coaster is how they were able to fit a ride that takes you upside down so many times into this space.

"[23] Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards ranked Steel Curtain as the Best New Roller Coaster of 2019.