The tunnel would run near U.S. Highway 281, raising environmental and other concerns. Credit: Sanford Nowlin
More than a year after the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority agreed to negotiate with Elon Musk and his Boring Co. to build a “hyperloop” between the airport and downtown, the project appears stuck in neutral, the Express-News reports.

The Alamo RMA’s board hasn’t heard from Boring Co. since December, when it sent Boring Co. a draft development agreement, according to the daily.

Alamo RMA secretary and treasurer David Starr attributed the lack of communication to the billionaire’s many side projects, such as his controversial purchase of social media platform Twitter and SpaceX, whose rocket exploded over South Texas last month, the paper also reports.

Despite being ghosted by Musk, Starr told the Express-News he’s still in favor of exploring the lofty project.

The Alamo RMA first agreed to enter negotiations with Boring Co. in March 2022 after selecting the proposal out of several others for an airport-to-downtown transit system.

According to a slideshow presented by the Alamo RMA last year, the project was estimated to cost somewhere between $247 million and $289, earning the transit authority up to $25 million in annual revenue.

However, Alamo RMA attorney Brian Cassidy questioned those projections in a footnote on the presentation. The footnote, perhaps accidentally displayed on a projector during a public meeting, appeared to show doubt the proposed $12 fare could generate $25 million over a year’s time.

Transportation experts, legal scholars and environmental advocates have also questioned the feasibility of the project, citing eminent domain concerns and the construction’s potential impact on the Edwards Aquifer.

The Alamo RMA will reconvene for its monthly board meeting May 17, during which the transit authority is expected to discuss the results of a feasibility study concerning the hyperloop’s viability.

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This article appears in Apr 19 – May 2, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...