Elon Musk’s Boring Company has achieved two critical milestones in its ambitious endeavor to develop an underground transport system in Las Vegas.
The company announced on Monday via Twitter that two of its digging machines, named Prufrock-1 and Prufrock-2, have arrived at Encore on the Las Vegas Boulevard and Westgate just off the Strip.
According to the announcement, the company successfully managed to mobilize, launch, tunnel a distance of 2,350 feet, and retrieve Prufrock-2 within a span of 10 weeks. In contrast, the company’s previous machine, Godot, which initiated the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop project, took the same amount of time just to get started.
Encore project (Prufrock-2) took approx. 10 weeks with the starting point of "arrive at empty parking lot." Mobilization, launch, tunneling (2350 ft), and retrieval. Good step towards building infrastructure projects in a matter of weeks versus years. pic.twitter.com/KF548cvmsX
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) July 11, 2023
Encore and Westgate properties are set to be the next stops in the underground transportation network. These locations will have tunnels branching off from their properties to the Las Vegas Convention Center. This expansion follows the inaugural offshoot that opened last year, connecting Resorts World to the convention center, reports LV Review-Journal.
The Boring Company’s ultimate vision is the completion of the Vegas Loop, a comprehensive underground network spanning the Strip to downtown Las Vegas, with stops at key points of interest.
Prufrock-2 has arrived at the Encore Resort @EncoreLasVegas @LVCVA pic.twitter.com/umq5roKsTf
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) July 11, 2023
The proposed system encompasses 65 miles of tunnels and 69 stations. Stops will include the Allegiant Stadium, almost every resort on the Strip, downtown resorts, the Fremont Street Experience, the planned Oakland Athletics ballpark set to be constructed at the site of the Tropicana, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The company’s long-term goals also include an extension to the Harry Reid International Airport.
The first segment of the Vegas Loop, the Tropicana Loop, is anticipated to be the next construction target. This will connect the Trop site, Allegiant Stadium, and the resorts on the south Strip. However, there is currently no set timeline for when this work could begin.
The grand project will be executed in several phases and will ultimately create a seamless two-way tunnel system using Tesla model vehicles for point-to-point transportation.
