Elon Musk says his ‘traffic busting’ Las Vegas tunnel, which stretches for nearly a mile beneath the famous city, will be open for commuters in 2020.
The South African billionaire, 48, revealed the news in a Twitter post on Friday, writing that his company, The Boring Co, ‘is completing its first commercial tunnel in Vegas, going from Convention Center to Strip.’
Back in March, Las Vegas officials selected The Boring Co to design, build and manage twin tunnels capable of transporting passengers in small, autonomous vehicles, each holding eight to 16 passengers.
The tunnels are designed to skip the congested roadways above ground, transporting tourists and residents around the busy city.
Elon Musk says his ”traffic busting’ Las Vegas tunnel, which stretches for nearly a mile beneath the famous city, will be open for commuters in 2020. Pictured: a Tesla vehicle at his Boring Company’s California tunnel test site in December 2018
Musk has long advocated a futuristic underground train system, called the Hyperloop, that would allow passenger capsules on Tesla-built chassis to move through low-pressure tubes at high speeds
The 0.8 mile tunnel runs from the Convention Center to the city’s famous Strip – but could be expanded in the future
On Twitter, Musk gave more details about his plans for future underground tunnels – for cars, saying: ‘These would be road tunnels for zero emissions vehicles only — no toxic fumes is the key.
‘Really, just an underground road, but limited to EVs (from all auto companies). This is not in place of other solutions, eg light rail, but supplemental to them.’
He also stated: ‘Obv, you don’t *have* to use the tunnels! Just an option. ‘
Musk then posted a poll, asking his followers to vote for whether they would be interested in more ‘super safe earthquake-proof tunnels’.
When a majority of followers voted that they did want more tunnels, he wrote: ‘As expected, 69% want car tunnels! Stop whining, subway Stalinists, the people have spoken … ‘
Musk’s company last year showed reporters a new test tunnel in California, but Las Vegas is Boring’s first paying customer. The test tunnel story is pictured
Musk’s Twitter followers said they would be interested in more ‘super safe earthquake-proof tunnels’ for emission free vehicles. The Los Angeles test tunnel is pictured
Musk’s company last year showed reporters a new test tunnel in California, but Las Vegas is Boring’s first paying customer.
The cost of the tunnel, originally estimated to be as low as $35 million, has since risen to $52.5 million, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Musk has also advocated for a futuristic underground tunnel system for trains, called the Hyperloop, which would allow passenger capsules on Tesla-built chassis to move through low-pressure tubes at high speeds.
He aspires eventually to build such a system linking Washington and New York along the busy US Northeast corridor; he has also proposed projects for Chicago and Los Angeles.
The billionaire hopes Boring’s people-moving technology will help revolutionize urban transit in an ever more crowded world.
He says the idea came to him as he sat in growing frustration in his car, stuck in a traffic jam between his pricey villa in Bel Air, California and the SpaceX offices in Hawthorne, south of Los Angeles.
He envisions thousands of autonomous electric vehicles eventually moving millions of people underground at speeds up to 155 miles per hour (250 kph) — far higher than the moderate 35 mph speeds planned for the short Las Vegas link.
A computer modelling of the Las Vegas tunnel, which will transport passengers in small, autonomous vehicles, each holding eight to 16 passengers