The Las Vegas Loop project designed by Elon Musk’s Boring Company has been given the green light to go ahead – and it promises to be one of the biggest construction projects ever seen in Sin City.
Vegas is no stranger to big infrastructure and resort developments. The city that sprung out of the Nevadan desert is now a glittering 24/7 metropolis with mega casinos, luxury hotels and even the Eiffel Tower running along the famous Strip.
And now the city is to get a new tunnel transportation system that will hopefully make it even easier to get from A to B in one of America’s most congested urban areas.
That’s because Musk’s company has earned approval from Clark County to build a 29-mile tunnel system below Vegas that will transport tourists, locals and workers from one part of the city to the other.
The intended benefit of the Las Vegas Loop is to slash travel times and improve the air quality above ground, making it easier and safer for people to get around.
The Loop will use Musk’s Tesla cars to transport people between casinos, the airport and even Vegas’ football stadium. And it means that tourists to Sin City will soon experience the difference above ground.
Facts about the Las Vegas Loop
- First tunnel underneath Las Vegas Convention Center opened in 2021
- Full project to deliver 29 miles of tunnels under Las Vegas
- 51 stations located at major hotels and casinos
- Loop runs to McCarran International Airport
- 57,000 capacity per hour
- Privately funded (no taxpayer contributions)
- Resorts will have to pay for their own stations
- 700 human-driven Teslas transport passengers
- Plans for automated Teslas in the near future
- Hopes the tunnels will cut pollution on Vegas’ city streets
The Loop approval comes swiftly off the back of the Las Vegas Convention Center tunnel that opened earlier in 2021. That project consists of two 0.8-mile tunnels that can shuttle people quickly underground and cut out the need for above-ground transportation.
What Next for Vegas Loop?
Of course, getting approval from Clark County is just one step on the road to delivering this enormous infrastructure project.
Boring intends to create 51 stations but will require any stops located at specific hotels and casinos to be funded by the respective resort itself. The fully-private initiative is not expected to cost taxpayers and it is hoped the low cast of fares will attract tourists from the outset.
Traveling from the airport into downtown Vegas should take around five minutes and cost $10. Compare that to an above-ground cab service, which charges tourists as much as $28 to travel to the Convention Center.
As far as timeframes are concerned it could take a long while for the entire system to be complete. A tunnel at the Resorts World hotel is currently being constructed and should be in operation by 2022.
“Within a year, I would hope that we would be under construction with portions of the main system, and then we can continue to expand from there,” Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told FOX 5.
