Boring Company Recommended for People Mover Project in Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) on March 6 announced a recommendation to select The Boring Company (TBC) to design, construct and operate a people mover for the Las Vegas Convention Center via a loop of underground express-route tunnels that could carry passengers in autonomous electric vehicles at high speeds.

Upon approval by the LVCVA Board of Directors on March 12, the project would be another first for Las Vegas and have the potential to connect Downtown, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Las Vegas Boulevard Resort Corridor, McCarran International Airport and beyond.

“The selection of The Boring Company for the Las Vegas Convention Center’s on-property, guest transportation solution leads the way to the evolution of transportation overall in Southern Nevada,” said LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill. “Our destination thrives on innovation and reinvention and The Boring Company’s concept allows us to continue providing the world-class experience our guests and clients have come to expect and move people in an efficient and cost-effective manner with advanced technology.”

Currently in the midst of an expansion, the Las Vegas Convention Center will span 200 acres when complete in time for CES in 2021. Conventioneers walking the facility will log approximately two miles from end-to-end hence the need for an on-property guest transportation solution. In 2018, Las Vegas had more than 42 million visitors. The Las Vegas Convention Center hosts more than 1 million convention attendees annually. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada carries approximately 12 million passengers per year within the Las Vegas Boulevard Resort Corridor.

“We are excited to work with the LVCVA to provide a world-class mass transit system in Las Vegas,” said Steve Davis, president, The Boring Company. “Upon approval, it can be in use by Las Vegas Convention Center guests within one year, supporting the LVCVA’s expansion timeline.”

Founded by Elon Musk, The Boring Company has proposed innovative tunneling and transportation projects in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles. A proposed downtown Chicago to O’Hare shuttle had been approved in June 2018 but now appears to lack political support with Mayor Rahm Emanuel not running for re-election.

In December, The Boring Company completed a 1.14-mile long test tunnel in Hawthorne, California. The company says that the Hawthorne system cost less than $10 million per mile including internal tunnel infrastructure. The tunnel features an elevator system for custom-fitted Tesla cars that ride through the tunnel. Tests runs were completed at 35 mph, according to CNN Business, compared to target speeds of 125 to 150 mph in the Chicago proposal.

The LVCVA’s recommendation of The Boring Company is a result of a multi-step process that started in 2018 with a request for information to gauge interest. A request for proposal was then issued. Interviews with the qualified respondents were conducted by an evaluation team who determined the recommended company. The evaluation team was comprised of representatives from the LVCVA, private organizations including a Las Vegas resort property, and consultants in transportation systems, and automated people-mover construction and operations industries.

Pending the LVCVA Board’s approval during its March 12 meeting, The Boring Company and the LVCVA would determine specific design, construction and operational plans and negotiate a contract for final approval by the LVCVA Board in a subsequent meeting anticipated by June 2019. The estimated fiscal impact of the potential project is $35 to $55 million.

RELATED: Tutor Perini Receives Notice of Intent to Award for the Purple Line 3 Stations Project