The residents of the areas around SpaceX’s Boca Chica Starbase Facility in Texas might live close to a state of the art facility. Still, their lives become miserable every now then. The residents complain that the roads in the vicinity and the ones leading to it are often closed due to the transportation of rocket parts or space launches which causes immense inconvenience.
But let’s now forget that Elon Musk owns a tunnel building company. If the commute of his beloved SpaceX causes inconvenience to the area’s residents, he may well build a tunnel. And as the famous saying goes, there is no bad spot to build a tunnel. The Boring Company has met with the representatives of Cameron County and has suggested building a tunnel from the tip of South Padre Island to the northern end of Boca Chica Beach as per the Brownsville Herald. This would help the people to carry about their commute without hindrance.
But the catch here is, the SpaceX operations will still be carried out above ground. The tunnel will be used by the residents of the Beach and people intending to visit the beach when Space X closes the roads for its commute.
However, it is not as simple as it sounds. The digging of this tunnel will be immensely challenging. Ars Technica noted that South Padre Island and Boca Chica Beach are divided by an active shipping channel. What this means is that the tunnel will have to be dug way deeper than the usual tunnels. It is for sure going to be a challenge for The Boring Company.
The Boring Company will get no financial assistance if it wants to dig the tunnel. They are on their own. SpaceX is still undergoing an environmental review for its launch site, so the possibility of such a tunnel still hangs in the balance. The feasibility report is still to determine whether it would be possible to dig this deep. Well, all we can do is wait and watch as the project unfolds or is shelved.