A major southern Dallas development has been selected for a high-profile infrastructure project led by Elon Musk’s tunneling venture, The Boring Company, according to a newly released announcement.
The University Hills development has been chosen to host a mile-long underground tunnel, known as the “University Hills Loop,” which will connect the community directly to the University of North Texas Dallas DART Station. The project was selected from 487 submissions as part of the company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge,” with 16 finalists competing nationwide.
University Hills joins two other winning proposals — in New Orleans and Baltimore — announced by The Boring Company on social media.
The loop is an underground tunnel where electric vehicles travel at high speeds, allowing riders to bypass surface traffic. The concept is designed to improve connectivity and reduce congestion.
University Hills is a 280-acre, $1 billion mixed-use development led by Hoque Global. Plans include hundreds of homes, multiple phases of development and a walkable town center. The tunnel would create a direct, multi-modal link between the development and the broader North Texas transit network.
“It is an honor to be recognized … as the winning project,” Hoque Global CEO and Founder Mike Hoque said in the release. He added the project highlights how “emerging infrastructure solutions can strengthen access to transit, jobs, and opportunity.”
“UNT Dallas is pleased that this innovative tunnel will increase access to and from our campus and the region. It symbolizes the continued growth of southern Dallas through technology, collaboration and forward-thinking and will strengthen the community surrounding the university,” said UNT Dallas President Dr. Warren von Eschenbach.
City leaders also praised the selection.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Dallas to explore innovative infrastructure solutions,” Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said, noting the project reflects the city’s “commitment to forward-thinking transportation.”
Dallas City Council member Lorie Blair tells WFAA, however, that this is not completely a done deal. Feasibility and safety studies will need to take place.
And there’s the example of Nashville. The Metro Council In Music City voted to oppose the tunnel project underway there – citing safety concerns and saying it lacked transparency and community input on a project called the Music City Loop.
The Boring Company’s only finished tunnel project is the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, which connects several hotels to the convention center. It has been operational since 2021 but Musk’s company was cited for numerous violations during its construction.
Officials with the University of North Texas at Dallas said the tunnel would improve campus access and strengthen ties with the surrounding community.
The project is still in early stages. Groundbreaking and a construction timeline will be determined following planning and permitting with The Boring Company and the city of Dallas.
Elon Musk’s tunnel project in Dallas is the latest in a growing list of ventures in Texas. Musk recently announced a $20 billion chip plant planned for Central Texas, while Tesla operates its Gigafactory in Austin and SpaceX’s Starbase is in Boca Chica.