Elon Musk Hopes Nerdy Details Will Win Support for L.A. Tunnel
*By Alisha Haridasani*
Elon Musk nerded-out a little bit on bricks -- high-compression, hybrid building blocks -- in the apparent hope that construction details could win over opponents of his ambitious proposal for a high-speed tunnel to shuttle people underneath Los Angeles.
Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive, was speaking Thursday night on behalf of his Boring Co.’s plans to alleviate chronic traffic congestion and bolster local support from Angelenos skeptical of his proposal.
The underground tunnel would whisk “pods” of up to 16 people at more than 100mph for $1 per person; it would be the first in a future network of tunnels criss-crossing beneath the city.
“We think we can make this really fun,” Musk [said](https://www.boringcompany.com/) to a room mostly filled with his [fans](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-elon-musk-tunnel-20180517-story.html).
The details of the bricks he would use for the tunnel occupied a special place in Musk’s presentation, based on a [report](https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/18/17367548/elon-musk-boring-company-flamethrower-locomotive-tesla-model-3-bricks-help) from The Verge’s Elizabeth Lopatto, but it glossed over the fact that residents from communities affected by the project are pushing back.
Last month, a City Council committee agreed to exempt the tunnel from an extensive environmental review as a way to expedite the project. The full City Council still has to vote on the motion.
Two West L.A. community groups from neighborhoods close to the 2.7-mile “proof of concept” tunnel filed a lawsuit a few weeks ago to block the city’s decision to bypass the environmental review.
“I would say the immediate issues are definitely regulations,” said Danny Paez, the innovation staff writer at Inverse. “Digging a hole is one thing, getting approval for that is another.”
When asked why he wants to skip the environmental review, Musk said Thursday that he would “definitely” do it once the West L.A. tunnel opens and before expanding his underground network. He also said that even with the waiver, the company would have to get through 600 pages of permits to build this tunnel.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/elon-musks-boring-presentation).
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