San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
So far, Musk’s tunnel company is big on ideas, short on success
spite of the company’s name, its proposal is far from boring.
The Boring Co., headed by Elon Musk, wants to build a loop of tunnels that would zoom passengers between San Antonio International Airport and downtown in Tesla cars. It might even include stops at the Convention Center and the Pearl.
Last week, the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority voted 5-0 to move forward with the idea.
But Musk is known almost as much for his overzealous promises as for his considerable accomplishments in building reusable rockets at SpaceX and electric vehicles at Tesla Inc. Over the past five years, he and his company have announced several tunneling projects, but only a few have worked out.
Here’s a rundown of other projects the Boring Co. has pursued:
What’s worked
Las Vegas Convention Center Loop: Last April, the Boring Co. debuted its first completed commercial project: a 1.7-mile length of tunnel with three stations connecting the west hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center with the north, central and south halls. It took about 18 months to build at a cost of $52.5 million, according to Engineering News-Record.
What’s not worked
New York City-Washington D.C. Loop: Musk jumped the gun in 2017 when he announced on Twitter that he had “just received verbal govt approval” to build a hyperloop between New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Officials from the city of Philadergoing
delphia and the Maryland Department of Transportation said no approval had been given, according to The Guardian. Five years later, nothing has come of the proposal. And it is no longer mentioned on the company’s website.
Washington D.C.-Baltimore Loop: In 2017, the Boring Co. gained the support of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to dig a pair of tunnels between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and in 2019 an environmental assessment was published, according to the Washington Post. But mention of this project, too, was later removed from the company’s website. Last year, a spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration told the Post the agency hadn’t “gotten any indication from the company that they are interested in moving forward.” Chicago Express Loop: In 2018, the Boring Co. won a bid to build an express transit system from the Loop in downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Airport, cutting the travel time to just 12 minutes. As of 2020, the company said on its website the project was unIn
a contractual and environmental review, according to an archived page provided by the Wayback Machine.
But the project is no longer listed on the Boring Co. website. Last June, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation told NBC News it had been dropped.
Los Angeles Dugout Loop:
Also in 2018, the company proposed a project to build a tunnel connecting Dodger Stadium north of downtown Los Angeles with a station on Los Angeles’ subway system. Like the Chicago Express Loop, this project was listed on the company’s website as being in the environmental review stage in 2020, but has since been removed.
Los Angeles Westside line:
The company announced in 2018 it was abandoning plans to dig a tunnel beneath Interstate 405 and Sepulveda Boulevard on the west side of Los Angeles after lawsuits put its environmental impact under scrutiny, according to TechCrunch.
What could work
Vegas Loop: Today, the Boring
Co. lists only one project on its website apart from the alreadycompleted LVCC Loop and two test tracks. The Vegas Loop would incorporate the LVCC with possible extensions to casinos along the Las Vegas Strip, Harry Reid International Airport and downtown Las Vegas — perhaps even extending to Los Angeles, according to the company’s website. In October, elected commissioners of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, approved a 29-mile tunnel network that would include 51 stations.
South Padre Island to Boca Chica: The company has proposed a tunnel from the southern end of South Padre Island to the northern end of Boca Chica Beach, near SpaceX’s launch site at Boca Chica, according to a report from the Brownsville Herald. A representative of the company met last year with officials from Cameron County, the report said.
Fort Lauderdale tunnel: Last year, the company submitted a proposal to build a pair of tunnels extending 2.5 miles from downtown Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to the beach, according to Bloomberg.
San Bernardino County tunnel: This project would connect Ontario International Airport — east of Los Angeles in Ontario, Calif. — with a train station in Rancho Cucamonga, to the north. In February 2021, the board of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority directed staff to enter negotiations with the Boring Co., according to a report from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. North Miami Beach tunnel: Last month, the company submitted a proposal to construct a 6.2-mile tunnel in North Miami Beach at an estimated cost of $185 million to $220 million, according to Bloomberg.