Development of Elon Musk’s underground transportation system in Las Vegas achieves milestone

May 19, 2020
The boring machine has broken through the second tunnel, marking the completion of tunnel excavation at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

An underground transportation system being built by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has completed construction on the second of two vehicular tunnels located beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) campus.

The boring machine broke through the concrete wall near the 1.4-million-square-foot West Hall convention center expansion, which is currently more than 80 percent complete, signaling the completion of excavation for the two one-way tunnels known as the Convention Center Loop. The West Hall expansion and Convention Center Loop are scheduled to debut to the public in January 2021 and are part of the destination's investment in bringing fun and groundbreaking transportation solutions to the meetings and conventions industry.

"This milestone not only helps usher in the future of transportation in Las Vegas, but it signals the destination's ability to push through during trying times and continue to meet the evolving needs of our visitors," said Steve Hill, LVCVA CEO and president.  "Las Vegas continues to break through boundaries, and we look forward to offering this first-of-its-kind transportation solution to our convention attendees."

The first commercial endeavor for Musk's company, the $52.5-million project will allow convention attendees to be transported across the 200-acre campus in under two minutes, free of charge, in all-electric Tesla vehicles. Construction is already underway on all three passenger stations in the system.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) moved from board approval to completing the excavation of both tunnels (two 4,500 ft. journeys) in less than one year. The underground transportation system's three passenger stations connect the existing 3.2-million-square-foot convention center to the $980 million West Hall expansion.