Elon Musk (Credit: Getty Images)
When Elon Musk envisioned his system of high-speed vehicle transport tunnels beneath Los Angeles, many welcomed the idea in a city of increasing gridlock. Others, however, were more skeptical.
Following a contentious battle with neighborhood groups, Musk’s Boring Company — which is at work on the tunnel — will drop its plan for a test tunnel beneath Sepulveda Boulevard, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported. The tunnel network, as Musk has described it, would be a zero-emissions, high-speed method of transit for personal vehicles and single riders traveling through the city.
The company said it “amicably settled” the matter with the opposing parties, and is “no longer seeking the development of the Sepulveda test tunnel.” Instead, it will aim for a similar version near Dodger Stadium.
The neighborhood groups, which include Brentwood Residents Coalition and Sunset Coalition, sued the city in May after it approved construction of the test tunnel. In the complaint, they argued the Boring Co. should conduct a full environmental impact report before starting work on the 2.8-mile test tunnel.
The company will now focus on building a “Dugout Loop” that will help ease traffic for Los Angeles Dodgers fans. The operational tunnel is being marketed as a public transportation alternative for fans traveling from Los Feliz, East Hollywood and Rampart Village neighborhoods.
It is unclear when it will start work on the Dodger Stadium project. Boring Company was already eyeing that location, and in August, had been in the process of conducting environmental studies under state guidelines.
Boring Company is also working on a separate test tunnel in Hawthorne, which is its headquarters. In October, Musk announced on Twitter that a portion of the tunnel will be open to the public for free rides on Dec. 10. [LABJ] — Natalie Hoberman
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