Subterranean excavation in Las Vegas takes a step forward as the Boring Company reaches a key milestone in its class-A innovative Vegas Loop project. With an impressive tunnel span stretching all the way to the Virgin Hotels (formerly the Hard Rock Hotel) situated 1.5 miles east of the issue-driven Strip, the pet project of none other than tech mogul Elon Musk seems set on revolutionizing the cityscape.
Popularly dubbed as the Tesla tunnels, the Vegas Loop project promises to underpin the sprawling metropolis of Las Vegas, extending an unbroken underground thread between the airport and downtown, skillfully threading its way through the illustrious Las Vegas Strip.
Sharing this notable achievement on Friday, Elon Musk, the mind behind Tesla and SpaceX, took to Twitter to make the official announcement.
“Imagine cruising through the city in electric cars moving seamlessly underground within just a few years,” Musk, the richest person in the U.S. envisioned, although conceding that the average speed of Teslas at present hovers around a modest 30 mph.
The newly dug tunnel, an integral part of the University Center Drive Loop, broke ground on a vast, 2-acre land plot facing UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center on Paradise Road. This expanse, purchased by TBC earlier this year in January for a staggering $7.2 million, is scheduled to don a new identity soon as “Paradise Station.”
The ambitious venture doesn’t stop here as the drilling continues, eyeing its next destination: the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Silver Lot. Collaborating closely with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the Vegas Loop project anticipates transporting passengers through its futuristic “Tesla tunnels” to and fro the three sites by April 2025.
Still, the exhaustive project has its limitations. Despite the Paradise Station being an earmarked, mere 2-mile distance from the Harry Reid International Airport, plans reveal that it currently doesn’t hold any provisions to connect to it.
Instead, a separate extension approved late last year, in October 2021, by the Clark County Commission has been proposed. This autonomous expansion embarks directly from the airport, weaving through Allegiant Stadium and a cluster of 50 stations before halting at the lively Fremont Street Experience downtown, covering a considerable distance of 30 miles along the route.
For now, the Tesla cars could have the privilege of shuttling the short 2-mile distance on the surface streets to Harry Reid. “It’s more than just dropping off or picking someone up from the airport. It’s a chance to dive back into the system,” LVCVA President and CEO, Steve Hill expressed his optimism about this emergent and valuable transportation network.
Meanwhile, work is steadily progressing on the presently operational tunnel supervised by TBC. This tunnel weaves the three halls of the convention center and Resorts World together. The next leg of the journey includes circling the casino resorts at Westgate and Encore.
Currently, the tunnel rides are free of charge. However, with the unveiling of the University Center loop, riders will be expected to pay a certain fee to TBC. Thus, the labyrinthine Vegas Loop gradually braids itself into the heart of the spectacular city, launching a new era of underground commuting.
