How Elon Musk’s Boring Co. intends to connect Vegas Loop to Reid airport

The plan to connect the Boring Co.’s Vegas Loop with Harry Reid International Airport is becoming clearer.

In a building permit application submitted last month, Boring Co. revealed plans to tunnel from a planned station at 4744 Paradise Road to a site just south of Tropicana Avenue, at 5032 Palo Verde Road, sandwiched between Paradise Road and University Center Drive and across the street from an airport parking lot.

On Boring Co.’s Vegas Loop map, a station is planned for the area of the 5032 Palo Verde address. The Boring Co. intends to purchase the 1.72-acre plot on Palo Verde Road owned by Washington-based Monarch Enterprises to build a Vegas Loop station, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal. A representative from Monarch declined to comment on the potential sale when reached Friday by phone.

The 4744 Paradise site is already owned by Boring Co., which is actively tunneling toward the Las Vegas Convention Center to create what’s dubbed the University Center Loop. Along that route are planned stops at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, a potential future multifamily unit with a station on Paradise that Boring Co. is planning to build, and stations at the former sites of Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant and Firefly on Paradise that, in part, will serve Sphere eventgoers.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill said last month that the University Center Loop tunneling should reach the convention center sometime this summer.

Airport Center

The planned airport Vegas Loop station would be next to the planned J Dapper Airport Center project being developed by Dapper Cos. Plans call for a nine-level parking garage with 1,271 parking spots, including 72 Tesla superchargers on the first floor, according to documents submitted to Clark County.

The J Dapper Airport Center will feature a shuttle system to and from the airport, which will serve those who park there and could serve Vegas Loop riders, according to Dapper Cos.

Reid airport spokeswoman Monika Bertaki confirmed there have been preliminary talks about the 5030 Paradise address as part of the Airport Center. She said she wasn’t aware of the Vegas Loop station planned for Palo Verde Road.

Multimodal center

The two sites are within a larger portion of land — some parcels developed and some vacant — sandwiched between Paradise and University Center to the west and east and Paradise and Kitty Hawk Way/Swenson Street to the north and south, where the Clark County Department of Aviation owns around 20 acres.

The North Multimodal Center is planned for that airport-owned land, part of a larger airport modernization project. The multimodal center would be another way for Vegas Loop riders to transfer to and from Reid airport’s terminals.

The airport’s modernization plans also include a new transit center south of the airport on a portion of nearly 130 acres the airport owns at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sunset Road. That property currently features the Las Vegas Golf and Driving Range, the former All-American Sports Park and 65 acres of undeveloped land. The land neighbors the Regional Transportation Commission’s South Strip Terminal on Gilespie Street and Sunset Road.

When plans were announced last year by Reid airport, it was noted that transit centers would feature ride share and public transportation options in addition to parking for employees and airport crew members.

The airport and Clark County are also planning a number of road updates around the airport to improve travel, including a new road between Paradise and University Center that would intersect with Palo Verde Road.

“I don’t have a time frame yet – the consultant is on board now and meeting with stakeholders to prepare the preliminary design of all the modernization projects at LAS (airport),” Bertaki said in an email.

The long-term goal of the north transit center is to “have all transportation flowing in and out of that center,” Bertaki said.

Airport connection key

Having Vegas Loop stations near the north multimodal center would allow travelers to take the Vegas Loop into and out of the airport. The connection would be a major win for the Boring Co.; the biggest knock on the Las Vegas Monorail was that it never connected to the airport.

The biggest issue for the monorail extension was obtaining needed approvals and clearances from the Federal Aviation Administration, because the monorail’s track would have to be constructed on airport land.

Vegas Loop operations

Boring Co., owned by Elon Musk, uses Tesla electric vehicles in underground tunnels in the private point-to-point people mover system. A key aspect as the system continues to expand will be the ability of passengers to go from one point to another without stopping. Passengers on the monorail have to stop at each station as they make their way to their desired destinations.

The Vegas Loop currently serves various exhibit halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center and stations at Resorts World, the Westgate and Encore. The stations at Resorts World and Westgate have been operating daily with varying hours, mainly between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., with the convention center and Encore stations operating only during conventions and shows at the convention center.

The cost of a trip to or from a resort station are $4.25 for a single trip, $7 round trip and $12.50 for a day pass. Rides between the Las Vegas Convention Center stations are free. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority paid $52.5 million for the Boring Co. to build the Convention Center Loop. Boring Co. is responsible for footing the bill for off-campus expansions and will operate those and receive the revenue generated by rides.

At full build-out, the Vegas Loop is planned to feature 68 miles of tunnels and 104 stations across the resort corridor, downtown Las Vegas and other places of interest including most Strip resorts, Allegiant Stadium, Chinatown and Reid airport.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.