Boring Wins Initial Approval for Las Vegas Tunnel

The Las Vegas Convention Center and Visitors Authority (LVCCVA) has agreed to enter into exclusive negotiations with Elon Musk’s Boring Co. for a high-speed underground transportation system.

The initial program would construct a tunnel underneath the massive convention center and use an electric module to carry as many as 16 people. Boring says the program would cost less than $55 million and could be completed within a year of being approved. A final contract is expected to be granted in June.
 

The convention center is in the middle of a $935 million expansion that will expand the complex to cover 200 acres and stretch as far as two miles from end to end. The site currently hosts more than one million visitors per year. A monorail that connects the center to hotels along the main Las Vegas strip is plagued by long lines and costs $5 per trip.

Boring and LVCCVA say the proposed project could eventually be expanded to serve the downtown strip, McCarran airport and Las Vegas resort corridor.

In December, Boring demonstrated a proof-of-concept tunnel in Hawthorne, Calif., where Boring and Musk’s SpaceX rocket company are based. A modified Tesla X electric SUV was used to test the tunnel.

Boring also has development programs in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. But those projects have stalled over land rights battles, environmental concerns and dwindling government support. Critics remain skeptical about the technology and the promise of reducing traffic congestion.