The Boring Company, best known for its underground transportation tunnels, is looking to expand its Vegas Loop in an unexpected direction—above ground. The company has applied for state approval to operate Tesla vehicles on surface streets as part of airport transfers to and from Harry Reid International Airport.
The application was submitted through Paradise Transportation Co., a Boring Company subsidiary, to the Nevada Transportation Authority (NTA). The request, outlined in a draft order filed last month, seeks a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN). If approved, it would allow portions of trips to the airport to run above ground while still requiring riders to travel through part of the existing underground tunnel network.
According to the proposal, rides would be priced in tiers: $7 for trips up to three miles, $12 for four to six miles, and $14 for longer distances. These fares would be in addition to the base cost of using the Vegas Loop tunnels.
Local leaders see the airport connection as a crucial step in making the Vegas Loop a viable citywide transportation system. Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, stressed the importance of the expansion.
“It’s important for our visitors, so it makes it important for our community,” Hill told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The ability to go that last half mile, or mile to the airport and connect people to the tunnel system is something we think is important and we know that our visitors would appreciate.”
The NTA could hear the application as early as October 10, after last month’s scheduled meeting was canceled due to a cyberattack on state systems. Officials have not confirmed whether the Boring Company’s proposal will be on the agenda.
The airport service would connect through planned stations along Paradise Road. One site is proposed near the Thomas & Mack Center, while another would be located south of Tropicana Avenue at Palo Verde Road. County records show the Palo Verde site sits next to a future multimodal center designed to accommodate public transit, ride-hailing, and employee parking for the airport.
These extensions build on recent progress. The company recently completed tunneling for the University Center Loop, a 2.2-mile line that will include eight stations linking Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, a planned Boring Co. residential project, and the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The Vegas Loop has already transported more than three million passengers across eight stations, including four at the Las Vegas Convention Center and others at Westgate, Resorts World, and Encore. Eventually, the network could span 68 miles of tunnels and 104 stations, capable of moving up to 90,000 passengers per hour.
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