The Vegas Loop is coming above ground. Again. 

The Boring Co.'s tunnel system, which uses Teslas to shuttle passengers between the Las Vegas Convention Center and area hotels, will be merged with the Strip's struggling Monorail system to expand the service along the nearly 4-mile route. 

After suggesting for years that it might be a possibility, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President Steve Hill confirmed at Thursday's Southern Nevada Home Builders Association meeting that the Strip's Monorail system will serve as an extension of the underground transportation system. 

"The Vegas Loop makes a huge difference whether you're using it or not in taking people off the streets," Hill said, according to Las Vegas Advisors' report. "It will incorporate the Monorail. We'll take the track off, put a pre-cast two-lane road on top, incorporate it into the Boring Company system, and use the existing Monorail stations. When you get to the MGM station, we'll tie it into the parking garage and use it as part of a station with ramps to get in and out of it."

The Vegas Loop, built by billionaire Elon Musk's The Boring Co., has faced criticism along with hundreds of environmental and safety violations. The Monorail has been plagued by years of financial struggles, aging infrastructure and limited use for locals. 

Originally built in 2004 for $650 million, the LVCVA announced in 2020 that it would be dismantling the Monorail system as soon as 2028 or 2030, though that timeline has been extended to sometime between 2030 and 2035. In 2020, the system operator, the Las Vegas Monorail Co., declared bankruptcy and sold the Monorail to the visitors authority for $24 million — the agency is currently in charge of the rail's seven stations. 

Last year, the visitors authority said it wanted to keep the Monorail system operating for another 10 years or more as it was considering spending $12 million in upgrades to keep it operational. The Monorail carries around 5 million people annually. 

The LVCVA declined a request for comment. 

By taking over the Monorail's tracks, The Boring Co. will not have to dig underneath the hotels on the 3.9-mile-long stretch alongside the eastern side of the Strip. Hill first publicly toyed with the idea that the Monorail might be repurposed for the Loop in 2024. 

According to The Boring Co. website, the Vegas Loop has served 3 million passengers across eight stations. However, it is approved for 68 miles of tunnels and 104 stations across the city. 

Progress on Boring's tunnel system has been slower than anticipated — it was initially expected to have 10 stations online in the first six months in 2022, according to Boring Co. President Steve Davis. The company has faced permit delays and setbacks after two firefighters went to the hospital with chemical burns. It was also issued $400,000 in regulatory fines and faced accusations of influencing officials to dismiss violations against them.