Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has been in “initial conversations” with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) for tunnel projects in the state to alleviate traffic pressures and assist with transportation — reports The Dallas Business Journal.
The NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments that was established to assist in regional planning in the state of Texas and has been in operation for over five decades.
“We have had initial conversations with The Boring Company, which has expressed interest in partnering with entities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on projects of mutual benefit,” Brian Wilson, a spokesperson for the NCTCOG, told The Dallas Business Journal in an email.
“The North Central Texas Council of Governments is working on a process that will allow us to have discussions with transportation technology companies and integrate them into the public transportation planning process.”
The NCTCOG “plans to bring this draft process to the regional transportation council this summer.”
The Boring Company builds expansive underground tunnel networks with room for vehicles to drive through. The company’s “Loop” is a passenger tunnel with an inner diameter of 12 feet, a drive surface, LED lighting, emergency backup lighting, and other features.
The Boring Company builds tunnels that span at least a quarter of a mile and have a minimum of two stations. The company’s first deployment, the ‘Hyperloop’ in Las Vegas, houses 1.7 miles of tunnels and three stations under the Las Vegas Convention Center and became operational in June of last year.
The Las Vegas Hyperloop is currently on track to expand 29 miles and host more than 50 stations throughout the Las Vegas Strip and Clark County, with the first station outside the Las Vegas Convention Center being added last month.
The Boring Company is pursuing other projects as well, including freight transport and passenger tunnel systems in Fort Lauderdale, Floria, and San Antonio, Texas.
It makes sense for Musk to explore new ventures in his now-home state of Texas. Musk confirmed back in December 2020 that he had moved to Texas from California, and he last year moved the headquarters of his electric vehicle (EV) company, Tesla, to Texas as well.
“Technology has an important role to play in the development of the Dallas-Fort Worth transportation system, and our region continues to attract leaders in the field of transportation innovation,” said Wilson.
“Having a formal process in place will help us efficiently and fairly meet the transportation needs of the growing population well into the future.”
