On Tuesday, May 28, Economic Development Coordinator Charisse Liggins described the status of the Hyperloop system at the regular meeting of the Greenbelt City Council. The proposed system comprises vehicles running underground from Washington to Baltimore. The project will be carried out by Boring Company, a tunneling company founded by Elon Musk. Boring has not held any public briefings and has relied instead on its website to share information.
City Planning Coordinator Terri Hruby said that a preliminary environmental assessment is currently underway. The Federal Highway Administration will then determine whether the project has enough environmental impact to warrant a full environmental impact analysis. Even if a full analysis is not required, Hruby noted that the project must still be reviewed by the Army Corps of Engineers because its tunnels will pass under navigable waterways.
Hruby noted that this project has the support of the governor. Council asked if the project is contingent on transfer of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway from the federal government to the state. Hruby said she did not think this had been considered.
For more of this story, see the June 6 News Review.