Elon Musk's Boring Co. has floated idea of building tunnel from Tesla to downtown Austin

Elon Musk speaks during a 2018 event for the Boring Co.'s test tunnel in Hawthorne, Calif.  The tunnel was recently dimantaled.
Robyn Beck/AP

Austin American-Statesman
Kara Carlson - Austin American-Statesman
February 13, 2023

The Boring Co., Elon Musk’s tunneling and infrastructure company, has been in conversations with the city of Austin about the potential to build several tunnels in the city — even raising the idea of a tunnel that could stretch from downtown to Tesla's manufacturing facility, city documents show.

The Boring Co. has previously proposed building tunnels in a number of Central Texas cities, including Austin. Earlier filings with the city showed at least one potential tunnel near the Austin Convention Center, along Cesar Chavez Street.

But emails between the city and a representative from the Boring Co. show this was just one of the ideas the company proposed — including a tunnel between downtown Austin and Giga Texas, Tesla’s massive manufacturing facility in Travis County. The American-Statesman obtained copies of the emails through an open records request.

It's unclear how far along any Austin projects could be, how many there might be and whether they are viable, but emails in 2021 and 2022 between the company and the city outline a complicated process the company would face if it does go through with any projects within Austin's jurisdiction.

The Boring Co. is involved with a number of product lines based on tunneling and services to transport passengers between stations using autonomous vehicles at up to 150 miles per hour.

The company has been growing in Central Texas in recent years. It moved its corporate headquarters to Pflugerville and is building out a warehouse, manufacturing facility and test site in Bastrop County.

Here's what we know about the projects the Boring Co. is proposing or considering in Austin:

What the Boring Co. is considering, and hurdles it would face

The company exchanged emails and set up meetings with the city of Austin across various departments between August 2021 and March 2022, including the city's Development Services Department and its Transportation Department.

The emails primarily involved Brian Gettinger, a Boring Co. representative at the time, and discuss setting up meetings to discuss potential tunnel projects.

Gettinger, the company's business development lead, told city staffers that the company's ideas included a tunnel that would stretch from downtown Austin to Giga Texas. He first mentioned it in an email in August 2021. The same email indicated the company had an interest in using the Terrazas Branch Library site as a construction staging area and transit site.

“I had a conversation this morning with (Austin's real estate services officer) Michael Gates about the Boring Company's plans to construct a transit tunnel system from Giga Texas to Downtown Austin and he suggested I connect with you," Gettinger said in an email to an Economic Development Department employee.

Gettinger's emails give some insight into hurdles the company could face if it attempts to move forward with any tunnel projects. After Gettinger asked about "setting up a structure" for the company to build within the city's right of way, multiple employees outlined a complicated process that included a number of permits and the need for City Council approval.

Just on the idea of using the library site as a staging area, city employees said coordination with multiple departments would be needed and said issues related to Project Connect, nearby residences and the planned Interstate 35 expansion project would need to be taken into consideration. Employees said the city is also planning to build housing on the site and would retain the library.

In March 2022, Gettinger followed up by seeking an update on the library site and said the company was exploring a number of tunnel options.

"We are pushing forward on identifying the initially most useful tunnel we can build in Austin, and a tunnel along Cesar Chavez is one of the options," Gettinger wrote.

In May 2022, Ryan Mooney a division manager in the city's Transportation Department, wrote that even without seeing plans, a potential tunnel project would probably need an encroachment agreement; a general permit or site plan; building, electrical and mechanical permits for both the tunnels and stations; and an excavation permit for construction of facilities.

Mooney said the workflow would probably start with a general permit or site plan or at least a construction plan; followed by an encroachment agreement, which would need City Council approval; followed by construction permits. It's unclear how far any of the conversations went, but no such plan has gone before City Council.

In a follow-up email, Jennifer Verhulst, the city's assistant director of land development review, wrote that any right-of-way approvals might have to be done parcel by parcel and could entail hundreds of separate encroachment agreements. The email also said the current practice for encroachment agreements is typically used for easements, not right of way, and each would need council approval. It also said the company would need to obtain building and trade permits for the tunnel and station/service areas.

The Boring Co. "has asked me for guidance with permitting, but I explained that guidance may vary based on the scope/location of the project. To date, that continues to change. I advised them to determine how to acquire land rights prior to submitting ... for permits," Verhulst wrote.

Is an Austin Convention Center tunnel more viable?

Emails between the Boring Co. and the city also went into detail about what the firm might see as its most viable option: a tunnel near or under Cesar Chavez Street, near the Austin Convention Center. It's probably the same tunnel that previously popped up on filings with the city as the "Austin Loop Transportation System." That project originally listed a Cesar Chavez address that is the same as the Austin Convention Center but now lists a Red River address.

In November 2022, a filing with the city showed the Boring Co. was exploring the idea of building a "new development with associated improvements" near or at the Austin Convention Center. Currently, the filing is listed on the city's website as "Expired."

The filing provides few details, and a note on the description says, "Keep internal." The description says, "The applicant is proposing new development with associated improvements." While it did not list the Boring Co. specifically, it did list its headquarters address and multiple employees.

At the time, a spokesperson for the city's Development Services Department said they could not provide more information on the project than was listed in the filing but did confirm that it is not part of Project Connect, the multibillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded public transportation program.

The name "loop" implies the project could be one of the Boring Co.'s "loop" offerings, more commonly known as "Tesla in Tunnels," where Tesla vehicles are used to transport passengers.

Part of a wider Central Texas pattern

The tunnel proposals made to the city of Austin are part of a wider pattern of outreach by the Boring Co. to a number of Central Texas cities and entities in recent years. The company has asked several cities about potential tunneling projects, including floating the idea of a tunnel connecting Austin and San Antonio. But so far none has come to fruition.

The company also has several filings for the Del Valle area, including plans for a warehouse near Tesla and Neuralink offices. A June 2022 filing also showed the Boring Co. might be considering building a tunnel near the Tesla site. The project, called the Colorado River Connector Tunnel, calls for a 2-mile private access tunnel. It's unclear where the project stands.

The company also has seen at least one project halted. Kyle officials were exploring the possibility of a pedestrian tunnel that would have connected the retail area at Kyle Crossing with the Plum Creek development. In November, city officials said the project was halted before a feasibility study could be done because the Union Pacific Railroad, which has tracks running through the site, rejected the plan. The city paid the Boring Co. $50,000 for a development service agreement and a feasibility study, using funding from the Kyle Crossing developer.

Few projects have actually happened

In Austin, it remains unclear how realistic any of these tunnel projects might be.

Nationwide, the Boring Co. has just one operational tunnel, a Las Vegas project that connects various parts of the city's convention center and transports passengers in Tesla vehicles. The company also had a 1.1-mile test tunnel in Hawthorne, Calif., that it recently dismantled.

The Las Vegas tunnel, one of the company's "loop" offerings, can transport 4,400 passengers per hour between three stations. Las Vegas officials have also approved a 29-mile tunnel system containing 51 stations under the city, which reportedly could transport 57,000 passengers an hour across 51 medium-sized stations.

A number of other projects have been scrapped at various stages of development. The Wall Street Journal reported that the company has been "ghosting" cities around the country.