The city of Bastrop is studying the idea of building pedestrian tunnels to connect the area’s trail system, and it wants Elon Musk as its partner.
A preliminary map that the city provided to The Texas Newsroom proposes two tunnel segments underneath the Buc-ee’s off State Highway 71 that would extend along the length of the frontage road to the Colorado River. A third segment could connect Bastrop State Park to Mayfest Park, the city’s rodeo venue, and then to a trail that would end at the entrance of the Buc-ee’s tunnel.
The total length would be less than a half mile, Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo said. She estimates the project would cost between $5 million and $7 million and be paid for by a mix of city, state and federal funds and, perhaps, contributions from private corporations.
Carrillo said Bastrop officials approached Musk’s tunneling firm, the Boring Company, about partnering on the idea. She does not anticipate Boring will help fund the project, but said the city would get “a very good price.”
The Boring Company is headquartered in Bastrop County, about 10 minutes outside the city. Carrillo said Boring has already built one pedestrian tunnel from headquarters to the manufacturing facilities for SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space company, across the road.
“We toured that and…we thought, what a wonderful idea to partner,” she said.
Representatives with the Boring Company did not respond to a request for comment. The Austin Business Journal first reported on the tunnel proposal.
If environmental and safety studies don’t reveal any problems, and funding is secured, Carrillo sees the entire project being completed by this time next year. The local tunnel system would mark the first public project for the business in Texas.
That’s not for lack of trying. Bloomberg reported in 2022 that the company had pitched eight public projects to Texas officials, but none appear to have been built to date. This included a plan to build pedestrian tunnels under the railroad in the city of Kyle. City of Kyle spokesperson Rachel Sonnier said it was halted because the Union Pacific Railroad did not approve construction.
“The city is no longer working with The Boring Company and is considering a pedestrian overpass as an alternative crossing solution in the future,” Sonnier said.
This year, Boring has also proposed building flood mitigation tunnels under Houston, according to an investigation by The Texas Newsroom and Houston Chronicle, copublished with ProPublica. Officials say no public money has been allocated for tunnel construction.
Some other Texas cities already have urban pedestrian tunnels.
Dallas and Houston each have extensive systems under their downtowns that allow pedestrians to pass between some buildings without having to go outside. While less popular than in their heyday in the 1960s and ‘70s, some still feature shopping and restaurant options. In Austin, the city recently widened an existing tunnel that will let pedestrians cross beneath Pleasant Valley Road.
Non-urban projects similar to the Bastrop trail connector have also been pursued in states like Oregon, which is building out a hike-and-bike tunnel near the Columbia River Gorge.
The Boring Company’s transportation tunnelling projects elsewhere, including in Las Vegas and Nashville, have been criticised for attempting to skirt environmental or permitting rules. Carrillo said Bastrop would thoroughly study the plan’s feasibility before moving ahead.
“The engineering is just one component,” she told The Texas Newsroom, saying local officials will study, “What are any drainage concerns, any engineering concerns, public health and safety concerns? How do we keep our unhoused friends from camping out in there?”
She added the main purpose is to allow people to enjoy the area's trails while avoiding some of the dangerous, heavy traffic areas around the highway: "It really is a way to do a safe loop around the city, get people moving, enjoying the outdoors."
Carrillo said the Texas Department of Transportation has already green lit studying the project and that the next step is securing funding. The city council will make the ultimate call on whether to pursue the project.
