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The Boring Company Projects

by · Published · Updated

Completed In Progress Proposed Cancelled Potential

Changelog:

  • Oct 24, 2021 – Updated information about the newly-approved Vegas Loop; Allegiant Stadium tunnel removed from the list because it will just be a part of Vegas Loop
  • Sep 3, 2021 – Added San Antonio to the list of potential projects
  • Aug 29, 2021 – Added South Texas tunnel to the list of potential projects
  • Aug 14, 2021 – Resorts World and Encore at Wynn projects have been updated and moved to “In Progress”; added new information about potential projects in Austin, San Jose and Fort Lauderdale
  • Jul 4, 2021 – The LVCC Loop project has been completed while Dugout Loop, East Coast Loop and Chicago Express Loop seem to have been cancelled; Las Olas Loop added to Potential projects; new Adelanto photos
  • Nov 10, 2020 – Added the newly proposed Vegas Loop project + some basic information about a potential tunnel in Austin, Texas
  • Aug 13, 2020 – Added the Adelanto tunnel project + added some new pictures of the various Las Vegas projects

Since its inception, the Boring Company has announced several different projects it is working on. These tunnels are at different stages of development and some have even been cancelled. Other projects are still in the process of obtaining permits, while others are only hypothetical. On this page you will find information about all Boring Company projects and their status. The page will be regularly updated.

Difference between Loop and Hyperloop:

  • Loop – Transportation system utilizing either compatible electric vehicles, or custom-made Autonomous Electric Vehicles (AEVs) based on a Tesla platform and able to carry up to 16 passengers. The system doesn’t require a low-pressure environment and can reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. Loop is intended for shorter routes.
  • Hyperloop – Futuristic long-distance mode of transport that utilizes pressurized pods travelling inside a tube or a tunnel in near-vaccuum conditions and reaching speeds of over 1000 km/h.

Loop using Teslas:

Loop using AEVs:

Hyperloop explained:

Completed Projects

Las Vegas Convention Center Loop

Las Vegas Convention Center Loop after completion (Credit: The Boring Company)

This 0.83-mile twin tunnel will provide transportation between the various buildings of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Because of the large overall area, visitors must currently walk long distances when moving from one end of the convention center to the other. Tunnel contruction started in November 2019 and the entire project was completed in the early spring of 2021. Tunnels were open to the public on June 8, 2021 for the World of Concrete event. A total of 61 Tesla vehicles (Models 3, Y and X) are used to transport passengers at a speed of up to 56 km/h (35 mph). The vehicles have human drivers but should be fully autonomous by the end of 2021. The system can move over 4400 people per hour and this can be increased further. The project includes three stations. Boring Company says the tunnel could be extended to other parts of Las Vegas in the future (see Vegas Loop below).

Hawthorne Test Tunnel

Tesla Model 3 inside the Hawthorne tunnel (Credit: The Boring Company)

An experimental tunnel built by the company to test the boring processes in order to find areas with room for improvement. The tunnel starts at the SpaceX parking lot in Hawthorne, the O’Leary Station (named after late Patrick O’Leary) is on the other end and is equipped with a car lift to the surface. The company publicly showed off the tunnel at an event in December 2018 and is now testing transportation inside it with modified Tesla vehicles, trying to reach high speeds with tight follow distance. According to Daily Breeze, a Boring Co. spokesman said in April 2019 that the test tunnel has been improved, and insisted cars now frequently travel through it at more than 100 mph (compared to the 40 mph demonstrated in December 2018). He said that reporters will be invited back in summer 2019 to check out the improvements. Then in May 2019 Boring Company shared a video that showed that the tunnel’s floor had been paved smooth and a Tesla Model 3 (without guiding wheels) can reach 127 mph inside the tunnel. There are currently no plans to use the tunnel for public transport.

Projects In Progress

Las Vegas Tunnel Extension to Resorts World

Planned route for the Resorts World Las Vegas tunnel (Credit: Resorts World)

In May 2020, the Boring Company applied for permission to build a tunnel that would connect the Las Vegas Convention Center with the nearby Resorts World Hotel. The tunnel would start at the exhibition grounds and end below the hotel. Tickets would cost from $3 to $5. Vehicles would reach speeds of about 64 km/h.

Las Vegas Tunnel Extension to Encore at Wynn Hotel

Map of the proposed extended tunnel system in Las Vegas. Light blue indicates the extension to Encore at Wynn. (Credit: Tick Segerblom)

In May 2020, the Boring Company applied for permission to build a tunnel that would connect the Las Vegas Convention Center with the nearby Encore at Wynn Hotel and Casino. The tunnel would start at the exhibition grounds and end in front of the hotel that’s about a kilometer away. The new tunnel would be connected to the existing Las Vegas Convention Center tunnel system, as one of the stations would be shared to allow easy transfer of passengers between the two systems. Tickets would cost from $3 to $5. Vehicles would reach speeds of about 64 km/h.

Vegas Loop

Updated official map of the proposed Vegas Loop routes from October 2021 (Credit: The Boring Company)

In October 2020, Boring Company unveiled plans to build a comprehensive tunnel system under Las Vegas. The project is called Vegas Loop and will consist of 24 kilometers of twin-tunnels and 51 stations that would connect local hotels, attractions, a stadium and possibly the airport. These will be standard Loop tunnels with an inner diameter of 3.6 meters at a depth of about 9 meters. Passengers would be transported in the tunnels using Tesla EVs which should eventually be driving autonomously. The Boring Company would pay to build the tunnels but would retain all profits from ticket sales. The costs of building the stations would be covered by the hotels/casinos who would like their facilities connected to the tunnel network. The network of tunnels would be built in several phases and the exact length and number of stations might change.

Adelanto Tunnel

Prufrock boring machine in Adelanto (Credit: The Boring Company)

Not much is known about this project. Prufrock, the most advanced boring machine developed by the Boring Company has been photographed in Adelanto, California and the company has been looking for employees for this project. Concrete tunnel segments have also been spotted in the area. It’s been speculated that this is a 10-kilometer test tunnel for the next Hyperloop Pod Competition which Elon Musk mentioned in 2019. Another theory is that this tunnel will connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas. But it’s also possible it’s just a for testing and experimentation.

Proposed Projects

Ontario Airport Loop

The Boring Company has submitted an unsolicited tunnel design to connect Rancho Cucamonga to Ontario Internation Airport in California. The tunnels would be 4.5 kilometers long with a diameter of 4.2 meters and would be located 10 meters underground. Transportation will be provided either by modified Tesla Model X vehicles or specially designed electric Tesla vans for 12 people. The vehicles will reach speeds of up to 204 km/h and the ride from Rancho Cucamonga to Ontario Airport would take only 90–120 seconds. Initially, the cars will have human drivers, but later they will be fully autonomous. If the 12-seat vans were to be used, the transport capacity should reach 1,200 passengers per hour, or 10 million people a year. The tunnel system would be operated by the Boring Company.

Cancelled Projects

Dugout Loop

Elevators on the west end of the Dugout Loop (Credit: The Boring Company)

  • Status: In environmental review and permitting
  • Cost: TBD
  • Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Transport system: Loop
  • Number of tunnels: 1
  • Length: 6 km
  • Boring diameter: 4.26 m
  • Boring machines used: TBD
  • Construction started: TBD
  • Construction finished: TBD
  • More information:

The Dodgers Stadium and one of the L. A. subway stations would be connected by a 6-kilometer tunnel. It is intended to provide additional public transport option during sports and cultural events taking place at the stadium. In the tunnel, the Loop transport system would be used, moving up to 16 pedestrians and cyclists using autonomous electric vehicles. These vehicles would be based on the Tesla Model X chassis and would reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. The 6 kilometres long journey would only take 4 minutes. Passengers would reach the tunnel using elevators. The Loop system would operate primarily during concerts and baseball matches that take place at Dodgers Stadium. Rides to the stadium would commence before the event started and would go in the opposite direction after the event at the stadium concluded. The total capacity is estimated at 1,400 people per event, initially. Construction should take no more than 14 months.

East Coast Loop

The initial pit dug south of Baltimore (Credit: Larry Hogan)

The tunnel would connect the city centers of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The first pit was dug south of Baltimore in 2017, but the project has not progressed much since then. Then on April 17, 2019, the Department of Transportation announced that the project has completed its environmental assessment, a draft of which is available for public comment. The agency will then determine if a full environmental impact statement is needed. There would be a Loop transport system inside the tunnel enabling travelling speeds up to 240 km/h. The route could eventually be extended all the way to New York City.

Chicago Express Loop

AEV going to Chicago’s O’Hare Internation Airport (Credit: The Boring Company)

A pair of 30-kilometer tunnels would connect downtown Chicago with O’Hare International Airport. The Loop transport system would use AEVs for up to 16 passengers moving at speeds of up to 240 km/h and one would depart every 30 seconds. It is estimated that the system would transport 2,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The journey would take 12 minutes and a ticket would cost 20 to 25 dollars. Unfortunately, the project was supported primarily by former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel and his mandate ended before he managed to push the project through the permitting process. And since his successor is not a fan of the proposed tunnel, the project is likely dead.

Experimental tunnel in Westside

Planned route of the cancelled tunnel in L. A. (Credit: The Boring Company)

In May 2018, The Boring Company announced plans to build an experimental tunnel in Los Angeles that would run along Sepulveda Boulevard and wouldn’t be open to the public. However, after this announcement, local residents protested against the project. In the end, the construction never started and The Boring Company announced in November 2018 that it was cancelling the plans and would instead skip straight to constructing the Dugout Loop.

Potential Projects

  1. Elon Musk said in May 2018 that the Boring Company would start building a tunnel connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco “hopefully next year“. This tunnel would be dedicated to a full-blown Hyperloop system, as opposed to the slower and simpler Loop. It is not clear whether the Boring Company would only build the tunnel and the Hyperloop technology would be supplied by an external company, or the Boring Company would provide both.
  2. The Mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo, announced in February 2019 that he was in talks with the Boring Company for a potential tunnel project that would connect San Jose International Airport with Diridon Station (distance of around 6 km). Boring Company would be competing for the contract with other companies but the selection process was still in the early stages in the summer of 2021.
  3. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has proposed a new underground particle accelerator with a circumference of 100 km. In response to this, Elon Musk revealed that CERN’s director had asked him about the possibility that the Boring Company would provide the tunnel. CERN confirmed that the discussion has taken place and the organization is open to working with the Boring Company.
  4. A 50-kilometer tunnel through the Australia’s Blue Mountains, located 100 kilometers west of Sydney, was vaguely proposed. Musk said that a two-way tunnel would cost about $15 million per kilometer, plus another $50 million for each station.
  5. New York City representatives had talks in the past regarding a Boring Company tunnel that would connect Manhattan with John F. Kennedy International Airport.
  6. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he spoke in the past with Elon Musk about potential cooperation with the Boring Company on a transportation project in Israel.
  7. Cryptic tweet from the Boring Company hinted at a plan for a tunnel in Austin, Texas. Later, it was revealed the tunnel would connect Tesla’s factory Giga Texas with the Austin-Bergstrom airport and also Austin downtown. In the summer of 2021, Boring Company started building a staging area at Bastrop near Austin. TBM parts and other equipment was spotted there.
  8. In June 2021, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, announced that he received a proposal from the Boring Company to build a tunnel connecting downtown and the beach. The project is called Las Olas Loop and would consist of two 2.2-mile-long tunnels. Boring Company’s proposal has been officially accepted but the project hasn’t been greenlit yet.
  9. Boring Company proposed to build a short tunnel to connect South Padre Island with Boca Chica beach in South Texas where SpaceX’s Starbase is located. This tunnel would provide alternate way to access the beach during times when SpaceX has to close the only road leading to the beach during Starship testing and launches.
  10. Boring Company is in talks with Greater: SATX organization about tunnels in San Antonio, Texas. Several potential routes are being discussed, including connecting downtown with San Antonio International Airport. These are very early discussions, though.

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Stephen @ Hyper Map

Hi Team, really enjoy this comprehensive list. Big fan of all the details that you have on here. I’d be curious as to how long each has been in a certain status. It seems like that MD/DC one has been stuck for a while. Keep up the great work!

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