The Boring Co. announced Denver as one of 16 finalists for the project, but the city didn’t make the ‘Thrilling Three’

Denver won’t be getting a pedestrian tunnel from Elon after all.

The city was announced as one of 16 finalists for the “Tunnel Vision Challenge,” a 1-mile tunnel idea designed as a loop, freight, pedestrian or utility tunnel that would be built and funded by Elon Musk’s The Boring Co., free of charge to taxpayers.

The project proposal would have constructed a 330-foot pedestrian tunnel to connect Ball Arena to a nearby light rail station, which is currently connected via a pedestrian bridge that goes over train tracks.

“We were honored to be included in the final round and are grateful for the opportunity from The Boring Company,” Jim Mulvihill, a spokesman for Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, told The Denver Gazette in an email.

A pedestrian tunnel isn’t completely out of the question for Ball Arena, though, according to Mulvihill.

“We are still considering either a pedestrian tunnel or a pedestrian bridge at that specific site connecting Ball Arena and Elitch Gardens,” Mulvihill said.

The Boring Co. announced on X that the ‘Thrilling Three’ cities that would receive the “Tunnel Vision Challenge” projects would be NOLA Loop in New Orleans, Ravens Loop in Baltimore and University Hills Loop in Dallas.

What happens next, according to The Boring Co. on X, will be entering into a due diligence process to evaluate the local support, ground conditions and conflicts with infrastructure, to see if the project is feasible in each city.

This process will include planning and zoning, environmental review, looking into permits and land access, soil composition, and mapping out possible for the project.

“Once the diligence (100% funded by TBC) is complete, if all 3 projects are feasible, will fund/build all 3 — this would be awesome. If only 1 is feasible, will fund/build 1,” The Boring Co. said in a post on X.

In addition to the three finalists chosen, The Boring Co. said that there were multiple other projects that were so compelling — a Hendersonville Utility Tunnel in Hendersonville, Tenn., and Morgan’s Wonderland Tunnel in San Antonio — they are continuing to work with entrants in an attempt to get them built.

Tunnel Vision Challenge results!

We've been overwhelmed with the amazing submissions…so we are announcing three winners!

The Thrilling Three are:
– NOLA Loop (New Orleans, LA)
– Ravens Loop (Baltimore, MD)
– University Hills Loop (Dallas, TX)

What happens next? TBC and the… https://t.co/cY2ULftfiK

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) March 24, 2026