When Elon Musk said he planned to connect the entire city of Las Vegas by putting a network of self-driving Teslas (TSLA) under the Las Vegas Strip, the idea was met with skepticism.
To be fair, the entire concept of Boring Co., Musk's futuristic high-speed tunneling project, has always fallen somewhere between genius and James Bond villain.
Musk has a plan for a huge network that will connect the Las Vegas Strip to downtown, the airport, Allegiant Stadium (where the National Football League's Las Vegas Raiders play), and the Las Vegas Convention Center. The initial piece of the project, the convention-center connector, showed that the idea works, but it was also a tad underwhelming.
"The LVCC Loop system — a three-station transportation system consisting of 1.7 miles of tunnel — was built in approximately one year," using the now-legacy Godot Tunnel Boring Machine, Boring Co. said on its website. "LVCC Loop connects the LVCC New Exhibit Hall with the existing campus and reduces a 45-minute cross-campus walk time to approximately 2 minutes."
That's true, but on its own the LVCC Loop seems like overkill (a moving sidewalk would have solved the problem). When you look at the entire project -- a 34-mile tunnel network with at least 55 stations connecting the entire city using (eventually) self-driving Teslas -- the project goes from silly to transformational.
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Musk Moves Closer to His Underground Vegas Dream
While small pieces of the Vegas Loop have progressed, including the Resorts World Connector, which connects the North Strip resort to the LVCC, overall progress has been unclear. That's partly because the scope of the project is gigantic.
"Vegas Loop will include LVCC Loop and any future service extensions including resorts along the Strip, Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium, and downtown Las Vegas. During typical peak hours, driving from the Las Vegas Convention Center to Mandalay Bay, for example, can take up to 30 minutes. The same trip on Vegas Loop will take approximately 3 minutes," the company shared.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill said that the city's first Super Bowl has always been the target date, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“I think it’s still a possibility,” Hill said of having the Vegas Loop operating by Feb. 11, 2024. “We are working to try and make that happen.”
Boring Co. expects construction to begin in 2023 with "5 to 10 stations coming online in the first six months" and "15-20 added each year until completion," the paper reported.
That suggests that only part of the system will be done before Super Bowl LVIII, Still, even a partial completion could have a major impact on traffic during large events.
Musk Transforms Las Vegas (and Maybe the World)
Boring Co. was built on the idea that solving traffic problems requires going underground. Doing that efficiently and cost-effectively required new equipment and Musk's company has delivered that.
Las Vegas, and especially the Las Vegas Strip, becomes gridlocked on a regular weekend let alone during a major event. You can hardly walk between Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and MGM Resorts International's (MGM) adjoining properties much less get anywhere else.
This has become an even bigger problem when you factor in how sections of the Strip have become very difficult to navigate on foot. In certain areas, a half-mile walk can involve escalators and walking through/around major obstructions.
Musk has provided a solution that other cities could easily implement. The Las Vegas project should literally connect the city in a way that was previously hard to imagine. That creates a better experience for tourists and should drive more repeat visits.
The Las Vegas Loop makes every hotel on the Strip a viable place to stay (not to mention downtown) during major events without needing to add transportation (like the buses major conventions use). That's transformational for the city and should lead to more cities wanting their own loops.
