The man who put a car in space wants to put them underneath Los Angeles’ streets. Now he’s one step closer.

Elon Musk’s Boring Company got a thumbs-up from the city’s Board of Building and Safety Commissioners for a 2.7-mile proof-of-concept tunnel along Sepulveda Boulevard near Culver City. The company envisions a tunnel network. It would be “a zero-emissions, high speed, underground, alternative means of transit for personal vehicles and/or single-rider use,” according to Urbanize, which reported on the approval.

The proof-of-concept tunnel would run from West Pico Boulevard and terminate just south of Washington Boulevard. Musk, who co-founded Tesla, wants to create a network of such tunnels around the city to zip cars and small transport vehicles with the goal of alleviating congestion on L.A. streets. The Boring Company’s goals are to reduce costs by a factor of 10, make tunnels smaller, and speed up the tunnel boring process.

It’s one of Musk’s many ventures in Los Angeles. His SpaceX company is looking to expand its footprint at the Port of Los Angeles to allow for the transport of its Big Falcon Rocket, which is meant to reach Mars.

The project has also received California Environmental Quality Act Notice of Exemption, a city certification that helps move a project quicker.

To build the 2.7-mile tunnel, the Boring Company will still need permits from the Bureau of Engineering, which are subject to the approval of the City Council. The Council has already shown some resistance to the project. Local Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a motion to call for a review on whether the project actually qualified for a CEQA exemption, according to Urbanize.

[Urbanize] – Dennis Lynch