Houston’s efforts to prevent devastating flooding have hit a new twist as Elon Musk has entered the conversation with a bold proposal. After Hurricane Harvey flooded the city in 2017, local experts have studied building massive tunnels to carry floodwater to the Gulf of Mexico. Now, Musk’s Boring Company, backed by Houston Congressman Wesley Hunt, is pitching smaller tunnels as a cheaper option.
The traditional plan involves huge pipelines, 30 to 40 feet wide, running deep underground to move water away quickly during storms. These tunnels, planned to stretch about 130 miles across Harris County, could cost up to $30 billion and take 10 to 15 years to build. The Buffalo Bayou section alone is projected at $4.6 billion. But Musk and Hunt want to build two narrower tunnels, only 12 feet in diameter, focusing just on one major watershed.
Hunt says this smaller approach would cost roughly $760 million. His team has been pushing state and local officials to fund 15% of that amount upfront. After their efforts started, the Harris County Commissioners Court voted to study a pilot program that would look at tunnels similar in size to those proposed by the Boring Company.
Some experts are concerned. Larry Dunbar, a veteran water engineer, points out that smaller tunnels can’t move nearly as much water — meaning they might not reduce flooding much. Dunbar said to match the flow of a single 40-foot tunnel, you’d need eleven 12-foot tunnels. That raises questions about the effectiveness of Musk’s plan compared to the original design.
Officials stress no public money has gone to the Boring Company yet, and no contractor has been chosen. Still, emails and records show Hunt’s office and Musk’s team have worked hard behind the scenes to secure meetings with lawmakers and push the idea forward. It even appears discussions could have taken place on Air Force One, though details remain unclear.
Harris County’s flood control district continues to explore options. In June, they released a white paper on a scaled-back pilot project with tunnels as small as 10 feet in diameter, the size the Boring Company can build. They also suggested possibly allowing a private company to design, build, and run the tunnels.
Not everyone is convinced Musk is the right choice. The Boring Company has built transportation tunnels but never worked on flood control before. Some local leaders worry that involving Musk, who has a complicated relationship with Texas politics and environmental regulations, could complicate things.
Meanwhile, Hunt is building his political profile, possibly gearing up to challenge U.S. Senator John Cornyn. Securing this tunnel project could be a big win for him and the Boring Company. But experts warn against rushing into a deal without thorough vetting, especially for such an important and expensive project.
For now, the Harris County flood tunnel project remains a work in progress. The original large-scale plan has yet to break ground eight years after Harvey. Whether Musk’s smaller tunnel idea will move forward is still uncertain, and officials say they are keeping all options open as they seek the best way to protect Houston from future floods.