It’s Getting Boring: Construction Begins on East Coast Hyperloop

• October 20, 2017

by Nena Perry-Brown

Three months ago, UrbanTurf reported on Elon Musk’s tweeted claim to receiving “verbal approval” for a Hyperloop connecting DC to Baltimore. Now, construction is beginning.

The Washington Post reports that the Maryland Department of Transportation has given Musk’s Boring Company conditional approval to dig miles of tunnel for the Hyperloop, making the state the first location where ground will break for the East Coast high-speed pod transportation system. The pod would transport people from DC to New York in 29 minutes.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan tweeted yesterday about the Hyperloop tunnel, stating, “Our administration is proud to support The Boring Company to bring rapid electric transportation to MD – connecting Baltimore City to DC.”

The Boring Company has a utility permit to start digging near Fort Meade, eventually tunneling about 10 miles under the state’s portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

While the status of other local and federal approvals needed to complete the entire East Coast Hyperloop tunnel remains unclear, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has been in communication with people involved in the project. “We’re trying to better understand the concept as it’s been developed so far,” DDOT spokesman Terry Owens said.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/hyperloop_construction_begins_in_maryland/13156