The Boring Company's Underground Tunnel Testing In Hawthorne Causing Tension Among Residents
HAWTHORNE (CBSLA) – Tensions are growing in a neighborhood in Hawthorne where some neighbors say they're worried about the impact of tunnel testing by Elon Musk's Boring Company.
"Why didn't the mayor do it in his neighborhood? On his block," said one woman who didn't want to be identified.
She said she lives next door to the home that was recently sold to The Boring Company, which claims to be testing an underground transportation tunnel in Hawthorne. She said the company bought the home for just under $500,000 to build an elevator shaft.
"My question is, why would they pick a residential area to do this where I'm sure there is a lot of open lots to do this," the woman said.
According to plans obtained by the Los Angeles Times that show what will be built in the coming months, an elevator shaft will be constructed in a garage behind the small home that will give engineers access to the tunnel that is 40 feet below ground.
Neighbors said people from the company went door to door trying to buy a home to build the elevator, which would be hidden in a garage and wouldn't make any noise.
But the unidentified woman said she has bigger concerns.
"Are they going to buy us out? Are they going to make us sell at one point? There is a lot of people that live on this block that have been here 25 plus years," she said.
The speedy-transportation test tunnel is Elon Musk's new project that is supposed to help ease Los Angeles' traffic congestion and pollution.
It has many neighbors in the community excited, but they still want to know why the city went ahead and allowed the plans to move forward in what they call a quiet neighborhood.
There was no response to a request for comment from the city of Hawthorne.
