The initiative that started thanks to a jam that frustrated Tesla CEO and entrepreneur Elon Musk, is about to reach the first stage of completion. Musk has now announced that the first tunnel by the Boring company under Los Angeles will open on December 10th. To mark the occasion (and to generate some initial PR of course), the company will also be offering free rides to the public.
The two-mile test tunnel is based under the headquarters of SpaceX, another Musk company, and is supposed to provide a proof-of-concept for Musk’s ambitious, and some would say rather outlandish plan of eventually transporting the bulk of traffic underground.
By doing this, Musk hopes to resolve the increasing traffic woes of the American populace, and of course, generate some revenue towards the entrepreneur’s eventual plan to colonize Mars.
The tunnel system is based around long tunnels, and of course, autonomously driven electric platforms called “skates”, that will be able to transport as many as 8 to 16 passengers, along magnetic rails at speeds of up to 250 km/h. Earlier this year, Musk’s company received a multi-billion dollar contract to build a rapid transit link between downtown Chicago and the O’Hare International Airport.
This was followed by another tunnel in LA, that is expected to transport commuters from Los Feliz/East Hollywood and the ballpark in about four minutes for as little as $1.
Musk also plans to connect New York City to Washington, DC via through an underground hyperloop. This project has also received a green light from the Trump administration. The major question here is whether Musk will be able to dig tunnels at cheaper rates as compared to traditional boring technology.
Another question is whether the billionaire entrepreneur will be able to reduce the massive investments in terms of time, that are usually involved in digging tunnels using conventional means. So far, it seems like the combination of technology and business acumen that Musk is bringing to bear could help provide an answer to the world’s traffic woes. However, we will know more once the tunnel starts operating in earnest and becomes a regular feature of LA traffic.
