A transportation tunnel between downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach could become a reality. Mayor Dean Trantalis announced Wednesday that the city has received a proposal from Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. to build an underground transit loop called “The Las Olas Loop.”

The City Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the proposal Tuesday and set the process in which other firms can now come forward with competing ideas.

Fort Lauderdale and The Boring Co. made initial contact early this year to discuss underground alternatives to the construction of a high-rise commuter rail bridge over the New River. When corporate executives later visited the city, they asked to look at other transportation needs of our city.

The underground transit loop would provide quicker and more efficient access between downtown and the beach as well as alleviate street-level traffic.

State law prohibits the release of the specifics of the plan until the competitive process is concluded.

Fort Lauderdale would be the first city on the East Coast – and only the second city in the world – to benefit from The Boring Co.’s technology.

Their existing underground loop in Las Vegas was built in about a year and was launched earlier this month. It runs the breadth of the region’s massive convention center and is in the process of being expanded throughout the city. The Vegas system consists of two one-way tunnels in which passengers are whisked in regular Teslas between three stations. Unlike a subway system, the number of cars can vary based on demand and passengers can go directly to their destination without multiple stops in between.