LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Vegas Loop’s underground tunnels are already moving people under the Las Vegas Convention Center, with new stations planned to connect more resorts around the valley.
U.S. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling came to see it for himself Monday, calling what’s happening there part of the next wave of transportation.
Secretary highlights workforce needs
“And what’s special about coming and visit these tunnels, not only is it the future of transportation, not only is it faster and safer, but let’s talk about the workforce,” Sonderling said. “To build these tunnels, you really need skilled labor. And that’s really what I was talking to the Boring Company about. As they want to expand and build this kind of infrastructure across the United States, the most important thing for us at the Department of Labor is that American workers have the skills to get these jobs.”
Sonderling said as the Loop grows in southern Nevada, he wants more local residents to fill the jobs that come with it — from welding and mechanics to pipe-fitting and safety. He pointed to a new federal “Workforce Pell” program as a way to get local residents into those careers faster.
“So companies like Boring, now thanks to the Workforce Pell program that launched on July first, are able to go to community colleges and develop certificate-based programs between eight to fifteen weeks to give local workers the skills they need to get the baseline safety training, whether it’s welding, mechanics, plumbing, pipe fitting, a lot of the jobs necessary to build tunnel,” Sonderling said. “And they can get financial aid for that for the first time for free, stay within their local community.”
Secretary rides through the Loop
Sonderling also rode through the Loop, inside the electric cars that shuttle people between stations below the Strip.
“It’s unbelievable,” Sonderling said. “When you go in these tunnels and you see how safe they are, the colors, and then the cars in them, you know, fully electric cars driving you in these tunnels, it just really blows your mind. And if we can get this around the country, we’re going to have less accidents. People are going to get places faster, more efficiently, and commuting times will certainly go down.”
American jobs and AI
Sonderling said what stood out most was that the tunnels — and the jobs behind them — belong to American workers, including those in the Las Vegas Valley.
“American workers were the ones who built this,” Sonderling said. “And it’s American infrastructure, and these are American jobs. And it’s important to continue to make sure that Americans have the skills to build this new wave of infrastructure.”
“But most importantly, that American workers are working side-by-side with A-I and not losing their jobs because of A-I,” Sonderling said.
Sonderling said he wants Las Vegas to be a model — not just for underground transit, but for how local workers can build and keep the jobs that come with it.
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