When Elon Musk launched his Boring Company in 2016, his goal was to relieve traffic congestion in metropolitan areas by tunneling underground to bypass all the surface traffic.
"I am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging," Musk tweeted at the time. "I'm actually going to do this."
Well, he has done it. His vision has become reality in Las Vegas, as he has completed several phases of his Vegas project and is expanding.
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Musk's Boring Company has taken a huge step in the expansion of its Vegas Loop transportation system project with its affiliate Object Dash's $7.2 million purchase of 1.8 acres of land on Paradise Road across University Center Drive from Thomas & Mack Center near the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Boring Company currently operates a Las Vegas Convention Center Loop to transport passengers in Tesla (TSLA) -) electric vehicles using an underground tunnel system between three Las Vegas Convention Center expo halls and Resorts World Las Vegas on the Strip.
The LVCC Loop consists of three stations along 1.7 miles of tunnel that cost about $47 million to complete. The Loop connects the Las Vegas Convention Center's new exhibit hall with the existing North, Central and South halls, reducing a 45 minute cross-campus walk to about 2 minutes. The project's Resorts World Connector provides a route between the hotel casino on the Strip and convention center exhibit halls with travel times ranging from 1-4 minutes.
Vegas Loop under construction
The main Vegas Loop currently under construction will include the LVCC Loop, any future service extensions including resorts along the Strip, Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium and downtown Las Vegas. In peak hours, a trip from the Las Vegas Convention Center to Allegiant can take up to 30 minutes, but a trip on the Vegas Loop will take about 4 minutes, Boring Company said on its website.
The latest purchased land will contain the planned University Center Loop that will connect UNLV to the Las Vegas Convention Center, according to Clark County records as the Review-Journal reported. Boring Company in July 2023 purchased 1.4 acres on Valley View Drive near the Las Vegas Chinatown for $3.7 million, and in 2022, it purchased two properties on South Las Vegas Boulevard.
Plans call for the Vegas Loop to stretch from South Las Vegas Boulevard to Downtown Las Vegas with 93 stations located along 68 miles of tunnel. The Loop tunnels are located 30 feet below the surface with Tesla vehicles traveling up to 150 mph directly to their destinations. The Vegas Loop targets up to 90,000 passengers per hour, while the LVCC Loop is designed for 4,400 passengers per hour, according to the Boring Company website.
LVCC Loop free for convention guests
Most of the stations along the Loop routes will be funded by resort casinos or businesses. The LVCC Loop, which opened in April 2021, has transported over 1.5 million passengers since opening and over 32,000 a day. The service is free for convention attendees, but a fee will be charged outside of the convention center zone.
Trips on the Vegas Loop are expected to range from $5 to $12. A trip from Downtown Las Vegas to the convention center will take about 3 minutes to travel 2.8 miles and cost $5, according to the website. From Allegiant Stadium to the convention center will take about 4 minutes to travel 3.6 miles for $6. Traveling from Harry Reid International Airport to the convention center takes about 5 minutes to travel 4.9 miles for $10, and Downtown Las Vegas to the airport will take about 8 minutes to go 7.7 miles for $12, the Boring Company website says.
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