Elon Musk publicly confirms that The Boring Company has almost completed work on its first tunnel in Los Angeles that will supposedly help with traffic congestion.
Reports claim that in 2016, the entrepreneur came up with an idea to hopefully reduce traffic when he was caught in a gridlock in LA. It apparently involves a network of tunnels that are just big enough to accommodate a multi-passenger pod the width of a personal vehicle. These electric-powered transports would move on rails at supposedly triple-digit speeds.
He even boasted that his company can do the work with technology that is at least four times faster and cheaper than other contractors. Musk has yet to prove his claims but the recent completion is one step forward.
Boring Only In Name
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO created The Boring Company in 2016 and is currently his latest business venture. The work on the first tunnel is close to completion as shown by a video he posted on Instagram, where he usually updates his followers about any of his company's projects.
Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging...— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2016
According to Musk, the project is still waiting for regulatory approvals before they can open their doors to the public. He noted that the transport will offer free rides for everyone during its demonstration phase. Once everything is fully operational, pedestrians and cyclists can use the system for a cost that's less than regular bus fare.
Location And Route
Sources confirm that the Loop tunnel under Los Angeles worked on by The Boring Company is located 30 to 70 feet below ground. The route reportedly starts at Pico Boulevard and stretches all the way down to Washington Boulevard. It is positioned parallel to Sepulveda Boulevard and does not have any stations in between routes by design. It is interesting to recall that in 2016, Musk posted on Twitter about his plans to build a drilling machine and dig a tunnel due to the traffic he experiences during his daily commute.
Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging... — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2016
Ongoing Hyperloop Plans
Some people wondered about the absence of any updates regarding Elon Musk's proposed Hyperloop tech. The Boring Company CEO confirmed that two other tunnels are being planned, with one already in progress that connects New York City to the nation's capital.
By next year, he hopes to start work on another one between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The latest two tunnels will allegedly use the Hyperloop design wherein the pressurized pods travel in near vacuum to achieve speeds of up to 600 mph theoretically. If proven successful, it would be considerably faster than a flight.
