Mayer Mizrachi, the 38-year-old mayor of Panama Metropolis, desires Elon Musk to construct him a pedestrian tunnel underneath the Panama Canal. And Musk’s Boring Firm not too long ago introduced it simply may.
Panama Metropolis this week was named one of 16 finalists — the one one exterior the USA — within the firm’s Tunnel Imaginative and prescient problem, which gives the profitable municipality a free tunnel that can be utilized for freight, pedestrians, water, utilities or Loop — the electrical, underground system that makes use of Tesla automobiles to move folks.
Mizrachi’s concept is a 0.6 mile pedestrian tunnel underneath the Panama Canal, which might give metropolis residents an opportunity to “dwell” its historical past and make the most of the important maritime commerce route that’s important to the worldwide financial system. Extra not too long ago, the canal has been the topic of geopolitical tensions as President Donald Trump threatened to take control of the waterway as a result of, he mentioned, the US was being ripped off by excessive charges and that it had come underneath Chinese language affect. In February 2025, Panama withdrew from China’s Belt and Highway initiative.
The winner can be introduced on March 23. Of the 16 finalists, half have been in Tennessee or Texas, the place the Boring Company is headquartered and the place Mizrachi not too long ago went to make his pitch. The undertaking, if chosen, has the potential to tie collectively Mizrachi, the previous DOGE chief, and the Panama Canal that Trump as soon as fixated on seizing.
Mizrachi, the youngest mayor within the metropolis’s historical past, based Criptext, a safe e mail platform, and, like Trump, has styled himself as an outsider. Like Musk, he got here to workplace seeking to reduce authorities within the identify of effectivity and insists he has succeeded.
In an interview with POLITICO, which is, together with Enterprise Insider, a part of the Axel Springer International Reporters Community, Mizrachi mentioned the tunnel proposal started as a last-minute response to a Boring Firm social media publish and ballooned from there.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
How did the tunnel concept start, and what precisely was your pitch to The Boring Firm?
Mizrachi: I merely simply ran right into a tweet by the Boring Firm in January, and so they had this tunnel imaginative and prescient problem, and so they have been providing a free tunnel as much as a mile lengthy wherever world wide to the most effective concept. I did a go to in January to the present tunnel that is being constructed for a subway station in Panama Metropolis, and I mentioned, “What if we constructed a pedestrian tunnel crossing the canal with parks on both facet? You’ll be able to inform the story of how the canal was constructed and the historical past of the nation, and the biodiversity.”
Metropolis planners began engaged on a proposal, and so they form of actually introduced the aircraft in for a touchdown with a gorgeous proposal, and we submitted that on the final minute of the final day.
What did you study in Texas about how The Boring Firm would strategy this undertaking?
Mizrachi: We met with Jim Fitzgerald, the VP for international, and we form of took a 101 on how a Boring Firm undertaking works. Tunnels are freaking costly. Nevertheless it seems that the way in which that they do it makes it really possible, and it is fairly a surprise the way in which that they’ve put this collectively.
And as I advised Jim, I mentioned, “Pay attention, I do know that is very preliminary, and listed below are many different tasks that they are contemplating, however you understand, it might be fairly a marvel that 100 years in the past, you understand, the US constructed the canal, after which 100 years later, that they’d construct a tunnel that crosses the canal in a contemporary marvel of engineering in the way in which that they do it.”
They reuse their tunneling machines. Whereas sometimes, the tunneling machines are constructed particularly for a given undertaking, after which they get buried with the undertaking.
Brandon Bell/Getty Photographs
What would this tunnel imply for Panama, particularly at a second when the canal is caught up in broader geopolitical tensions?
Mizrachi: Initially, Panamanians, we’re actually pleased with the canal, its administration, its historical past, however we seldom get to dwell it. So it is like the remainder of the world makes use of the canal. However you understand, Panamanians, we do not dwell the canal. You possibly can go to the Miraflores Locks, and also you go to the vacationer middle. You’ll be able to possibly see a ship, however we do not actually dwell it.
So the imaginative and prescient right here is you create a public house the place you combine households, vacationers, and so they can cross the canal themselves with an underground tunnel that is 0.6 miles, the gap. It is fairly quick, and I can solely think about it being nearly an academic expertise, the place you may have screens, very skinny screens, as a result of the house just isn’t that large, however skinny screens which might be exhibiting the story, the historical past of how the canal was constructed, the biodiversity of Panama, after which stats on the canal, the affect that it has on world commerce, and so forth. It began as an concept, but it surely’s shaping up. And I feel it goes above my pay grade. I spoke to the president [of Panama] about this. This must be dealt with by a job power designated by the president in illustration with all the nation.
Why do you suppose Panama Metropolis might beat out American cities for this undertaking?
Mizrachi: Effectively, there’s one very distinctive factor about this. They do not have a canal. The Boring Firm has by no means bored underwater, a lot much less crossing a canal. And I feel it is a part of the worth proposition to point out themselves as engineers, how far they will go together with their mindset, with their methodology and their ingenuity.
Additionally it is a pedestrian tunnel. So it isn’t a loop tunnel that’s managed and operated by the Boring Firm. So in case you consider Vegas, they function the Loop itself. So, right here, it is much more palms off. They construct a tunnel, and so they do not need to have an energetic operation.
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Photographs
You have drawn comparisons between your work and DOGE-style value slicing in Washington. How do you describe your governing strategy?
Mizrachi: I imply, actually, I nonetheless take into account myself an outsider. I’m not subscribed to any political celebration, and I nonetheless very a lot make use of the mindset of the tech entrepreneurial effectivity and check out issues earlier than you scale issues, which is rare in politics.
As quickly as I got here into workplace in July 2024, I spotted folks’s cash was being wasted on a scale that I used to be simply shocked to see. So we have been capable of scale back the scale of Metropolis Corridor personnel by 50% so it used to have 6,500 folks. We decreased it to about 3,500 folks. And by all counts, Metropolis Corridor is working quicker and higher with extra affect, tangible, seen affect, with much less folks. And likewise, we decreased the finances by about 32%, so we did the largest finances discount within the historical past of the town as properly.
This story initially ran in POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook and seems on Enterprise Insider by way of the Axel Springer International Reporters Community. The community publishes main tales from the Axel Springer community of publications, a worldwide group of stories shops that features Enterprise Insider.
