By Ashley Karen
Elon Musk’s Boring Company has again received permission to extend its Las Vegas tunnel network up to 65 miles.
Previously, the firm has sought to “solve soul-destroying traffic” by making underground transportation through autonomous cars. When it first received approval from the city, it was permitted to run 29 miles with 51 stations. Last summer, that authorization extended the project to 34 miles with 55 stations.
According to TechCrunch, now the company has been given the green light to build 65 miles of tunnels with 69 stations. It was ratified in a 6-1 vote by commissioners after the company’s lawyer, Stephanie Allen, argued that the company would bear the financial burden rather than the taxpayers.
The single vote against the expansion came from a commissioner who assumed that the project didn’t account for the staff at resorts and casinos who enter the city for work.
Kirkpatrick was also concerned about building near the airport and wanted to assure the firm had acquired the necessary permissions from the Federal Aviation Commission.
Kirkpatrick stated: “I would hope there are long-term conversations on what that looks like so we can ensure that people can access it; not just the tourists.”
“Because we have an equal amount of workers that have to go on this trip and it’s getting harder and harder for them to get there. I have received a lot of calls from my district on how long it takes to get there because of construction,” added Kirkpatrick.
Allen replied to Kirkpatrick’s worries about Las Vegas workers by expressing that there were programs to extend the system to residential areas north, west, and east of the strip.
As TechCrunch claimed, last year, The Boring company tended to boost $675 million to scale projects like this one. The outlet has also conveyed that the corporation faces challenges outside of regulatory hurdles, such as winning customers who have usually taken taxis, Ubers, or simply walked.
