Elon Musk's Boring Company is still trying to sell cities on transit loops, and it might just have a significant buyer. As The Verge reports, the Boring Company has submitted a bid for a transit tunnel loop that would link the downtown with the beach. The Las Olas Loop would be an "innovative and unprecented" way to manage traffic congestion and transit demands, Mayor Dean Trantalis claimed.
The City Commission will vote on the proposal on July 6th. It also plans to establish a process where other companies can offer rival projects. Specific details won't be available until after the competition is over, the city said.
A successful bid would establish the Boring Company's first East Coast tunnel. The only existing tunnel, in Las Vegas, launched in June.
It would be a crucial win. Musk's outfit hasn't had much success pitching cities on passenger loops, and has even shifted some of its attention to larger freight tunnels. A Fort Lauderdale contract would give the passenger system more credibility and might encourage other cities to consider tunnels of their own — at least, so long as the tunnels prove to be useful.
Fort Lauderdale has received a proposal from Elon Musk's The Boring Co. to build an underground transit loop between downtown and the beach. Called “The Las Olas Loop,” this represents an innovative and unprecedented approach to addressing traffic congestion and transit needs.
— Mayor Dean J. Trantalis (@DeanTrantalis) June 30, 2021