Hyperloop Construction Has Begun, Almost
Hyperloop is officially one step closer to reality. JumpStartFund’s Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) announced Thursday that it has filed construction permit paperwork with Kings County, CA for the proposed Quay Valley Hyperloop corridor.
Once approved, the first part of the construction will include a geotechnical investigation. Before the support pylons for the Hyperloop track can be built, soil samples will need to be taken to determine the stability of the ground. With this information, contractors will be able to determine how deep the pylons will have to go in order to support the mass of the Hyperloop.
“After over two and a half years of research and development our team has reached another important milestone. This will be the world’s first passenger-ready Hyperloop system,” said HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn. “Everyone traveling on California’s I-5 in 2016 will be able to see our activities from the freeway.”
At the same time, the company will begin using drones to map the proposed Hyperloop corridor. These maps will include placement of pylon positions and the station location. “The mapping is needed to calculate both the horizontal and vertical alignments required as part of the building permit,” read the HTT press release.
HTT will be interviewing potential contractors for the many portions of the corridor that will need to be built, including pylons, tubes, capsules and stations for the Quay Valley track. The groundbreaking will be scheduled for sometime in the second quarter of 2016 with an expected completion date of the test track in 2017. By 2018, however, HTT expects to open to public. If the company can stick to that ambitious timeline, you’ll have the chance to ride in a Hyperloop before you can buy a fully autonomous car.
The way things are headed, personal mobility the 2020s is beginning to look pretty exciting.