After talks stalled in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has finally landed its first paying customer, inking a $48.6 million deal with the Las Vegas Convention Center. The contract calls for the construction of a one-mile tunnel connecting the two ends of the building.
The project will encompass three underground passenger stations, a pedestrian tunnel and two vehicular tubes capable of transporting up to 4,400 passengers per hour. Escalator access, lighting, a WiFi network and video surveillance systems will also be provided.
Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ironically described the underground tunnel project as a way to “elevate the experience of our visitors...”
The Boring Company has suggested that this project could be the first of many in connecting the convention center with the Vegas strip and airport, traveling at speeds of up to 155 miles per hour – even though a demonstration of Boring technology last December topped out at about one-third of that speed.
In responding to the initial request for proposal, The Boring Company positioned their underground loop system as a solution that would take less time to construct and provide lower operating costs while easing pedestrian and vehicle traffic in comparison to at-grade or above-ground options.
The Vegas Convention Center is currently in the midst of a 200-acre expansion that is scheduled to be complete by January 2021. The structure hosts more than 1.6 million attendees annually. Musk is confident that the LVCC project will be complete by the end of year.
