Six years ago, SpaceX installed an above-ground tube in front of its Hawthorne headquarters, sparking excitement and intrigue from across the city about CEO Elon Musk’s latest experiment.
In annual competitions, engineers and students from all over the world It sought to develop and test Musk’s proposed Hyperloop transportation technology, which promises to levitate passengers through tunnels, launch from autonomous electric compartments at over 600 mph. A trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco It’s 35 minutes.
There is no Hyperloop system in service today. And after several years of idleness, it was removed at the city’s request on Jack Northrop Street – which raised questions about its purpose as well as complaints about road and pedestrian access.
“The city has been very altruistic and very supportive of SpaceX’s efforts,” said Hawthorne Councilor Angie Reyes English, who asked city staff to request SpaceX’s removal of the tube. But ultimately, we have other jobs and other things to consider and give the community their streets back.”
It remains unclear whether SpaceX or Musk’s tunneling venture Boring Co. continues to develop Hyperloop technology. BloombergFirst reporting the removal of the Hawthorne tube this week, he described it as “a symbol of greater pullback” and said the Hyperloop project was “shelf indefinitely”.
SpaceX and Boring Co. representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
After the last student competition summer 2019English said SpaceX apparently abandoned its operations in the nearly one-mile-long test tube it had been collecting pine needles from trees that had not been pruned for years due to dust and debris from nearby railroad tracks, as well as a lack of access.
The tube entered an eastbound lane heading towards Crenshaw Avenue, complicating current concerns in the busy area. about traffic jamdrivers and pedestrian safety traveling at highway speeds.
In 2017, SpaceX built a footbridge connecting their office to a parking structure after employees were hit by vehicles while walking down Crenshaw Avenue. and the Daily Breeze report. English said the city supports the project.
Alex Estrada, manager of Tow World on Jack Northrop Street, said he was starting to worry about pedestrians having to walk down the street because of the tube.
“It got in the way of just about everybody,” he said.
After the SpaceX competitions ended, he and others began to question why the tube remained.
“I assumed they forgot about it or left it there,” Estrada said.
After removing the tube, there was now a barricade and some plastic cones left, and Jack Northrop blocked a lane. A piece of asphalt running along the tracks has been turned into a car park, which the city doesn’t approve of, English said.
The councilor plans to request the removal of the barricades and said he will look into parking enforcement options on the unauthorized plot.
“We need to clear it up to ensure its safety and ensure pedestrians’ right of way,” English said.
English, SpaceX and Boring Co. Stating that he has a close working relationship with the company, he pointed out that it supports the jobs created and the local economy.
When Boring Co. tried to build and a separate mile-long tunnel To test underground autonomous vehicles under a Hawthorne neighborhood, English approved the project along with the rest of the council. However, it has forced the company to provide greater access to the community to inform project residents. Introduced in late 2018.
Now, with the aboveground pipe gone, the Brits and others at City Hall are turning their attention to the underground tunnel along 120th Street.
Given Musk’s history of shelving tunnel projects, English said he wasn’t sure if the Hawthorne project was still going.
boring company representatives Belediye Av. Just this summer, Robert Kim said the company is using the tunnel for development and research. Kim said that as soon as the project is finished, the tunnel should be filled with concrete.
Musk had previously abandoned plans to build a tunnel Under Sepulveda Boulevard at the Westside in 2018 and the alleged case He said the city of Los Angeles violated state laws in trying to exempt the tunnel from environmental inspection.
More recently, Musk abandoned a project for a tunnel that would transport riders from the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink station to Ontario International Airport. San Bernardino County public transit officials plan to continue the project without him.
The boring company is accordingly determined to finish its tunnel and loop projects in Las Vegas. websiteincluding those that will transport people to the center of the city Congress Center.
In Hawthorne, English noticed a lack of activity at the entrances and exits of the underground Boring Co. tunnel. He plans to tour the site to get it working.
