ELON MUSK’S Boring Co. is seeking to build an underground loop around North Miami Beach for Tesla vehicles, the latest idea to help address traffic in an ever-growing part of Florida with limited public transportation.

A plan submitted to the city of North Miami Beach contemplates seven entrances on the 6.2-mile (10-kilometer) tunnel. It would cost US$185 million to US$220 million based on current prices, and would take less than 36 months to execute, according to the proposal, which came in response to a request from the city.

Musk’s company has held talks with several South Florida governments since early 2021 as the region tries to improve traffic to lure high-paying jobs. Traffic has worsened as public transportation solutions remained elusive, hampered by politics and logistical challenges, including a relatively shallow water table.

Commissioner Michael Joseph said Boring was the only company to respond to North Miami Beach’s request for information.

In its proposal, Boring noted that the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could help the project via grant programs. Boring would be willing to finance “a portion of the project costs to support construction and operation.”

Joseph acknowledged it would take much broader buy-in to get the tunnel built, including from adjacent municipalities, Miami-Dade County and the state and federal governments.(SD-Agencies)