Elon Musk is looking to transform the city of Dallas, Texas with an underground tunnel transportation system. This tunnel will connect the University of North Texas at Dallas with a place called University Hills — a retail and recreation space that is under construction. The purpose is to create a faster route between two highly trafficked locations to ease the flow of roadway traffic. Rather than take up more land space, it will basically serve as a modern subway system, but without the crowds.
The project is being helmed by the Boring Company (as in boring through the earth). It is one of multiple companies owned by Elon Musk. The Boring Company held a proposal submission contest that attracted about 500 submissions, and this route in Dallas was selected as one of three winners. Passengers will be able to come to this tunnel and be driven through it in Tesla vehicles. It will be a single-route tunnel, with no other lanes or traffic hazards. There will be a subsequent, separate route back. In effect, it is a public transportation system with some advantages. There is only one stop, so it is more efficient than a bus or a subway. It also doesn’t take up road space like large inner-city buses do.
What is the Boring Company?
The Boring Company’s mission is to help reduce traffic congestion and make transportation in busy areas more efficient with underground tunnel systems. It is able to create a mile of underground tunnels within a week. To see what the future might hold for Dallas, we can look to other successful tunnels established by the Boring Company.
In Las Vegas, there’s the Vegas Loop, which hits major hotel stops in the city, and the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVVC) Loop, which connects two major portions of the LVVC, which would normally be a 45-minute walk. Recently, a new stop at Las Vegas’ international airport opened up. The LVVC Loop can handle over 4,000 passengers per hour, and the Vegas Loop can handle 90,000. Within these underground tunnels, you can travel well over 100 miles an hour, making trips much faster…