The Hyperloop (Photo via Tesla Motors)

There was no shortage of eyerolling over the summer when Elon Musk tweeted he had “verbal approval” to build an underground transportation system that would traverse five states—whisking commuters from D.C. to New York City in less than half an hour. With an announcement from Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on Thursday, though, Musk has permission for 10 miles down (and something like 215 miles to go).

Hogan granted Musk’s Boring Company a conditional permit to dig a 10.3 mile tunnel underneath from Baltimore-Washington Parkway, stretching under the state-owned portion of the highway from Baltimore to Hanover.

“This thing is real. It’s exciting to see,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn, according to the Baltimore Sun. “The word ‘transformational’ may be overused, but this is a technology that leapfrogs any technology that is out there today. And it’s going to be here.”

Musk first announced the idea of building a Hyperloop in 2013, proposing a 35-minute ride between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The super high speed would, theoretically, be made possibly by shooting pods through a tube with little air resistance to slow it down.

The closest the company has come so far are public tests lasting just a few seconds. Still, Musk has already started working on a test tunnel near Los Angeles to figure out to improve boring technologies (and also to work out technology to build a transit system underneath the notoriously congested city.)

Back on the home front, the Boring Company has received the same kind of permit that utility companies receive to dig from the state of Maryland (it isn’t quite clear what kinds of environmental and other reviews the company would need to undertake before actually putting the equivalent of an extremely large shovel in the ground). To get the remainder of the way from Baltimore to D.C., Musk would need approval from the federal government, which owns much of the rest of the route.

The tech pioneer said on Twitter that he isn’t ready to “do a proper announcement,” but one might be forthcoming in about a month. He did thank the state of Maryland, saying it “has been awesome to work with.”

The Boring Company isn’t the only one trying to bring high-speed transit to D.C., though. The Japanese government has committed to $5 billion in financing to build an above-ground “Super Maglev” train, which uses electromagnetic pull instead of wheels to get a smoother and faster ride. Virgin Hyperloop One, meanwhile, is also trying to build a functional hyperloop system, though the D.C. to Baltimore or New York route isn’t among the 10 sites around the world that the company believes are most viable.

Hogan, though, has confidence in Musk’s Hyperloop vision. “I think it’s coming to Maryland and it’s going to go from Baltimore to Washington,” the governor said on Thursday. “So, uh, get ready.”

Previously:
Musk Says Hyperloop Has ‘Verbal’ Approval. It’s The First D.C.’s Mayor Has Heard Of It