#Elon Musk’s Boring Company in talks with San Antonio, Austin for tunnel: report

Economic development officials and local government agencies in the San Antonia area and in Austin have reportedly held talks with Elon Musk’s Boring Company about building an underground transportation loop in Central Texas, like the one that opened this summer in Las Vegas.

Officials from the Greater: SATX Regional Economic Partnership as well as representatives from other local agencies have held talks with the Los Angeles-based company for at least two months, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The report also noted that the company is in talks with Austin.

Various potential routes are under consideration, including a loop linking San Antonio International Airport to downtown, the report said.

The endeavor is early in the process, according to Express-News, and no one has conducted traffic studies or gauged demand.

It’s impossible to say how much the loop would cost because the route hasn’t been determined.

The loop in Las Vegas reportedly cost more than $50 million and took roughly 6 months to build.

The idea behind The Boring Company’s loops is that they combat traffic congestion in bustling cities by moving transportation infrastructure underground.

People would eventually be ferried through the tunnel in self-driving Teslas, though Las Vegas requires drivers to operate the cars in their tunnel.

The concept has found staunch critics among many transportation advocates who say it’s a costly and eye-catching idea, but the money would be better spent building mass-transit systems like subways, bus routes and bike lanes.

The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Convention Center Loop runs 1.7 miles total and currently has three stops. The company plans to expand the Vegas system to cover much of the Strip and downtown Las Vegas with more than 40 stations.

The company has also held talks to build similar tunnels in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.