Elon Musk’s Boring Company Looks at New Orleans for Tunnel Project

Elon Musk is contemplating a significant project in New Orleans.

The Boring Company is considering the low-lying city for its next loop tunnel venture, even though there are concerns about how practical this might be in a location known for frequent flooding.

The proposed NOLA Loop is among three selected winners in the Boring Company’s Tunnel Vision Challenge, alongside tunnel proposals from Baltimore and Dallas.

Officials from the Boring Company have promised to finance the construction of a new tunnel if New Orleans is deemed a workable site. This city, famously below sea level and where corpses have been interred above ground for centuries, presents unique challenges.

Mayor Helen Moreno remarked that the city is still in the infancy of contemplating this project, and its specifics, like the tunnel’s precise location, remain uncertain.

“Anytime a major company or player is interested in New Orleans, it’s a positive thing,” she noted in a statement.

In contrast to other cities where the Boring Company has initiated projects, such as Las Vegas and Nashville, New Orleans has distinctive geographic challenges due to its flood-prone, silty surroundings linked to the Mississippi River Delta.

Many individuals raised eyebrows regarding whether New Orleans is a suitable setting, especially after the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina.

“Well, the water table is higher than sea level,” one person pointed out.

Another user humorously questioned, “Elon, have you ever been to New Orleans and figured out why even dead people aren’t underground?”

Another comment suggested that “this isn’t going to work unless Elon develops an electric submarine.”

Conversely, some voices were more hopeful.

“It’s going to be a big challenge, but if anyone can do it, it’s Elon. I’ll be interested to see how it goes,” one user expressed.

The specifics of New Orleans’ proposal remain undisclosed, although the tunnel could be around a mile long and approximately 12 feet in diameter, based on the Tunnel Vision Challenge, which attracted over 500 submissions.

In Las Vegas, the Boring Company has successfully constructed 16 miles of tunnels, with four currently operational. The plan is to extend this network to 108 miles, enabling the transport of 98,000 people per hour via Teslas.