When billionaire Elon Musk’s The Boring Company announced in July the idea for a parallel pair of 9.5-mile-long underground tunnels stretching from the Nashville airport to downtown Nashville, fiery backlash immediately ensued. But despite protests from Nashvillians and safety and environmental concerns raised by the Metro Council, the project — known as the Music City Loop — is already underway and sure to draw even more discourse and criticism as it carries forward this year.
The tunnel will be privately funded and will transport travelers via Tesla vehicles to and from the airport and downtown, though the company has said it hopes to construct stations throughout the city to expand the system in coming years. Officials with The Boring Company have said a single ride is expected to cost approximately $4, with round-trip and day-pass options to be available as well. The company also says the loop will be able to transport between 20,000 and 30,000 people per hour.
Steve Davis offers Music City Loop details during virtual town hall meeting; the same day, construction crews leave site due to safety, pay concerns
Much of the loop’s operations are expected to be modeled after the Las Vegas Loop, a similar tunnel project also spearheaded by The Boring Company, which has faced serious scrutiny due to work safety violations. Concerns over the safety of the Music City Loop have underscored much of the opposition to the project. During a virtual town hall on Nov. 24, Boring Company president Steve Davis described the tunnels as “amazingly safe” and said they are “by far the safest public transport system out there.” That same day, construction crews walked off the project site due to safety and pay concerns.
Other grievances come from disability advocates who have raised doubts that the tunnel will be accessible. Critics of the loop have also posed environmental concerns, especially given the abundance of underground limestone and its potential susceptibility for sinkholes. This led to The Boring Company commissioning an environmental study, which found the project would not cause a threat to the geology or local resources.
Still, lack of transparency from The Boring Company continues to leave many Nashvillians skeptical of the project, including members of the Metro Council. The city’s legislative body will consider a nonbinding resolution opposing the tunnel at its first meeting of the year on Jan. 20. Councilmember At-Large Delishia Porterfield is the lead sponsor for the resolution, which condemns the project as a whole, citing a lack of transparency, inadequate community engagement and communication with the council, and potential unsafe conditions for both workers on the project and users of the tunnel.
Notably, Mayor Freddie O’Connell has not come forth with a firm public stance on the project. Gov. Bill Lee has publicly backed the plan since its announcement, and alongside many business leaders in Nashville, he has touted it as a win for economic development and the city’s booming tourism industry.
Nevertheless, drilling has begun, and the company filed a lease application with the Tennessee Department of Transportation in December. This marks one of more than 45 permits and approvals needed from the state and Metro in order to complete the initial phase of the project by the first quarter of 2027.
From midterm elections and the Music City Loop to zoning reform and AI, here are eight stories to watch in the coming year
