In a 4-1 vote, the Hawthorne City Council has officially approved Elon Musk's Boring Company underground tunnel.
As we recently reported just a ~week ago, The Boring Company made a presentation to the Hawthorne City Council, further detailing its intentions regarding future plans for a tunnel beneath the city. Elon Musk's new venture secured permits to begin the process about two months back, and now the initial two-mile portion is set to roll.
Efforts thus far, which were part of the previous permitting, included only digging a 160-foot-long tunnel entrance on SpaceX property. Now with the council's support, Godot is free to leave the property and head into Hawthorne. As The Boring Company moves forward, it will be assessing the environmental impacts of the project. As explained to the council in the recent presentation, the project will be set to cease if there are any issues.
When boring is underway, people in the area shouldn't even be aware of its impact. At its deepest point, it will be 44-feet underground to avoid other utilities. SpaceX’s senior director of facilities and construction, Brett Horner, explained:
“You don’t see it, don’t hear it, and certainly don’t feel it.”
“Everything happens underground. We won’t have construction crews walking down the street. We won’t have excavators.”
According to Musk, the goal is to eventually extend the tunnel to Los Angeles International Airport. However, the company is still using old boring technology, which is a slow and tedious process. Musk shared:
“We hired a structural designer from a large consulting firm to design the tunnel based on LA Metro specs. We haven’t reinvented tunneling. We’re using proven technology and proven means and methods.”
Eventually, new research and technology should lead to a more efficient and green-friendly situation. The future Godot will feature electrification and automation. Also, the company has plans for using the excavated dirt to make earth bricks. This would save on shipping and concrete production, both of which add to our carbon footprint. The company explained:
“These bricks can potentially be used as a portion of the tunnel lining itself, which is typically built from concrete. Since concrete production accounts for 4.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, earth bricks would reduce both environmental impact and tunneling costs.”
Source: Daily Breeze