The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has announced a recommendation to select The Boring Company (TBC), founded by Elon Musk, 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.
The project, subject to approval by the LVCVA Board on 12 March, would be a first for Las Vegas and has 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 Convention Center will span 200 acres when complete in time for CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2021. A new transport solution is needed on the site, as delegates walking the facility currently log, on average, two miles from end-to-end.
In 2018, Las Vegas had more than 42m visitors and the Convention Center hosts more than 1m convention attendees annually.
“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.”
TBC projects include a Research and Development (R&D) Test Tunnel in Hawthorne, California.
The LVCVA’s TBC recommendation is a result of process that started in 2018 with a request for information to gauge interest. A request for proposal was then issued and an evaluation team determined the recommended company.
The potential project’s estimated fiscal impact is put at between US$35m and $55m.
Overall, the tourism industry continues to be crucial to Southern Nevada’s economy generating $58.8bn in total economic impact, supporting 391,000 jobs.
Photos, courtesy The Boring Company, show conceptual designs of the proposed Las Vegas Convention Center Loop and the Las Vegas Convention Center Expansion construction.
