Elon Musk with The Boring Company's unveiling of a test tunnel in Hawthorne, California, in 2018. Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Fort Lauderdale officials have accepted a proposal from Elon Musk's The Boring Company to build a tunnel between the Florida city's downtown area and the beach.
Driving the news: Mayor Dean Trantalis (D) said in a statement announcing the agreement Tuesday night that the venture would be "a truly innovative way to reduce traffic congestion."
- The transit system, known as Las Olas Loop, would see Tesla cars drive people from station to station in tunnels, CNN notes.
- The Boring Company told city officials that the project would cost $10 million to $12 million per mile to complete — costing $60 million to $72 million, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Wednesday.
Yes, but: Transportation planners argue that using vehicles for public transit in tunnels would not be as efficient as having trains or buses, per CNN.
What to watch: Other firms have 45 days to submit competing proposals, according to Trantalis.
- The mayor said Wednesday that The Boring Company's plans would need to meet certain criteria, including helping "solve some of our acute traffic problems," per the Sun Sentinel.
- "It must be something the community feels it needs and we can afford," he said.
Flashback: Elon Musk's "boring" vision for tunnels, semis and self-driving cars