Elon Musk's Boring Company gets closer to building Las Vegas tunnels

LOS ANGELES, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Elon Musk's plan to build underground express-route tunnels in Las Vegas got its first approval on Tuesday as the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) board of directors voted in favor of Musk's Boring Company for a new people-mover project.

The 14-member board approved a recommendation to select The Boring Company to design, construct and operate a people mover for the Las Vegas Convention Center via a loop of underground express-route tunnels, which could carry passengers in autonomous electric vehicles at high speeds, according to a release of LVCVA.

The innovative project has the potential to connect Las Vegas downtown, the city's Convention Center, the Las Vegas Boulevard Resort Corridor, McCarran International Airport and beyond, said the release.

"Las Vegas is a high-energy, high-technology destination equipped to welcome the world, and we are excited to deliver a system that will help visitors efficiently navigate the city's many offerings," said Steve Davis, president of The Boring Company.

The Boring Company and the LVCVA will determine specific design, construction and operational plans, and negotiate a contract for final approval by the LVCVA Board in a subsequent meeting scheduled for June 2019.

The loop will be designed with a potential capacity of up to 11,000 passengers per hour. The estimated system cost is between 35 million and 55 million US dollars depending on route, number of stations and size of stations, according to the release.