Conflicts With the Las Vegas Monorail Complicating Elon Musk's Tunnel Plans

Mark Harris reports:

The latest bout in Las Vegas is not taking place in a raucous casino boxing ring, but in the hushed rooms of planning committees. The reigning champion, the Las Vegas Monorail, is facing upstart challenger The Boring Company, in a fight to decide the future of Sin City’s urban transportation.

Harris has the scoop on what is known about the plans for the LVCC Loop so far, gathered from construction plans already supplied to the city for review. The project is moving fast. The contract, announced in May, calls for the LVCC Loop to be up and running in time for the CES trade show in 2021.

"Over the next 18 months, [The Boring Company] has to construct one pedestrian tunnel, two 0.8-mile vehicle tunnels and three underground stations, as well as modify and test seven-seater Tesla cars to carry up to 16 people," according to Harris.

But there is one big problem: officials with the Las Vegas Monorail system believe that LVCC Loop tunnel poses a significant risk to both vertical and lateral loads on the monorail system. A letter to The Boring Company and CCed to Clark County Officials, sent in June from Curtis Myles, CEO of the Las Vegas Monorail, spells out the risks.

According to Harris, the Winchester Town Board of Clark County, which has design approval power for the LVCC Loop, has required The Boring Company the to participate in regular coordination with the Monorail and the city’s Public Works department.

Aaron Gordon provides additional coverage of the big reveal, raising more questions about the viability of Musk's Las Vegas adventures.