Tunnels
August 10, 2018
Tunnels have always held a fascination for me. It began with a boyhood plan to tunnel under the alley at 719 First St. connecting my back yard with Bill Sperry’s on the other side. I knew of a tunnel connecting Leo Brandt’s mansion with the guest house in the back yard. Most interesting was a tunnel thought to connect a livery stable on the north side of Barnes with the Pribble Hotel across the street, site of today’s Alva Public Library. During demolition, tunnels were discovered under the BancCentral building whose purpose was speculated upon, with theories ranging from liquor storage during prohibition days to treasure. Even Oklahoma City has a downtown tunnel. The Chunnel connecting England and France, subways in many cities, and people movers under aquariums are some common uses today.
Elon Musk, known for SpaceX, Tesla and Neuralink, has created a new company with a new challenge. Anything but boring, The Boring Company plans to drill a 2.7mile tunnel under L.A.’s Interstate 405 – yes ma'am, the 405, busiest freeway in the world. The goal will be to provide “subterranean, supersonic public transport.” The lack of public transit must be addressed as urban area sprawl threatens to swallow the countryside and make freeways into parking lots. Another plan would connect Baltimore and Washington, D.C., 35 miles, and downtown Chicago with O’Hare International Airport, 17 miles. Bringing technology to a project is a Musk specialty and he plans to do it without government intervention, at least until the DEQ gets wind of it.
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