Elon Musk has tunnel vision.
The business magnate is hoping to build an underground tunnel in Los Angeles, and there is a good chance he will actually do it. Musk Tweeted about his plans this week, saying there is “Exciting progress on the tunnel front. Plan to start digging in a month or so.”
Musk has been a big proponent of using tunnels to cut down on traffic, especially with how bad gridlock is in L.A. Back in 2015 he told Neil deGrasse Tyson that tunnels would help curb the traffic problem more efficiently than flying cars.
“If you were to extrapolate that to cars and have more car tunnels, then you would alleviate congestion completely. You would not need a flying car in that case,” Musk said at the time. “And it would always work, even if the weather is bad. It would never ice up, and it would never fall on your head.”
So what does a man with the means to make significant change do? Well, he starts breaking ground.
Musk said that plans are already under way, with construction set to begin in Crenshaw at Interstate 105, about five minutes from Los Angeles International Airport and right outside his office. Musk has already spoken with President Trump about it twice, which is a good indicator that things may be going his way. While Musk certainly has the money to get this project started, having the president’s backing could make a small tunnel turn into a state-wide travel system.
Some may worry, however, that there is a danger to having underground tunnels due to the high probability of earthquakes, but L.A. already has an underground subway system that is working well and free of damage. In 2007, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer proposed expanding their subway system, with Feinstein stating that earthquakes wouldn’t be a valid reason to stop the progress. “Experts have now assured us that tunneling technologies have improved sufficiently to allay those concerns,” she said in a statement.
That bodes will for Musk’s underground vision.