Elon Musk Gets Go-Ahead for Test Tunnel Below Hawthorne
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will be spending a lot of time underground in Los Angeles’ South Bay. According to Curbed LA, the Hawthorne City Council has granted approvals to his newest company, the Boring Company, to construct a two-mile test tunnel underneath the city.
The Curbed report says that the tunnel will be between 22 and 44 feet below ground, and 12.5 feet wide. Its starting point is a SpaceX-owned parking lot, from which it will head northwest around Crenshaw Boulevard, then below 120th Street to Hawthorne Boulevard. Construction is expected to take around five months.
Musk will be utilizing the tunnel in part to test out his proposed high-speed, subterranean transportation system, which would transport vehicles at 125 miles per hour.
With traffic reaching all-time highs across Los Angeles County, it’s not that crazy to look to unconventional methods to fix it. The city has implemented numerous public transportation options in the last decade, with much more to come before the Olympics in 2028. Something like Musk’s idea could fit that larger plan — especially if the Boring Company is willing to take on the brunt of the work.