Elon Musk shares a trip through his Hawthorne tunnel. His project in L.A. is a bumpier ride
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk unveiled a zippy video Thursday night showing the progress his company has made on a tunnel beneath the city of Hawthorne, part of his grand vision for a subterranean transportation network that whisks commuters across Los Angeles County.
Yet even as he celebrates that milestone, Musk faces new challenges on another underground project: a 2.7-mile tunnel planned along Sepulveda Boulevard on L.A.'s Westside.
Two neighborhood groups have filed a lawsuit over the city of Los Angeles' proposal to fast-track the project by exempting it from environmental review. In Culver City, where the Sepulveda tunnel could end, officials are contemplating their own court challenge. And debate continues over the effect Musk's transportation initiative could have on surface traffic, economic equity and the environment.
"There's pressure in Silicon Valley for companies to move fast and break things," said Meghan Sahli-Wells, Culver City's vice mayor. "But those companies don't have to pick up the pieces. … We're not going to let them come in here without a plan."
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-musk-tunnel-boring-la-20180511-story.html
