Third Boring Company Tunneling Machine Launch Set for Late October

Construction continues as The Boring Company — owned by billionaire Elon Musk — works to build out its planned pair of one-way tunnels comprising a 19-mile route to connect downtown Nashville and Nashville International Airport.

TBC released its latest blog post providing updates on the project. The post notes that the company’s boring machines, known as Prufrock-MB1 and Prufrock-MB2, are actively tunneling. A third boring machine will launch in late October, though the post is not clear where exactly it will begin tunneling. The first two machines began operating at a state-owned downtown parking lot near the Capitol.

In addition, the company said a fourth machine is being built with the goal of having four tunnel-boring machines in the ground before the end of the year. The machines are continuously updated throughout the construction process, with more than 300 upgrades made to Prufrock-MB1, according to the blog update.

Prep work for the future machines is underway. This includes launch pit excavation and coordination with Metro Water Services and Nashville Electric Service. The blog post notes that office trailers, a safety center, an operations control center, a compressed air system, cameras and other components are in the process of being set up.

Out of the Loop: Digging Into the Music City Loop

As The Boring Company tunnels forward, we explore the company’s track record, the tunnel’s environmental impact and the politics surrounding the project

The company claims it has engaged with more than 275 community organizations and participated in more than 160 volunteer events across Middle Tennessee. However, it has provided no details on what specific organizations and events this includes. The blog post also says that over the past two months, the company has hosted site tours for residents, business owners, students, community leaders, elected officials and regulatory agencies.

In August, Scene sister publication the Nashville Post reached out to The Boring Company to request a tour of the facility but received no response. The company has not responded to any of the multiple requests for comment or interviews made by the Post since the project first launched more than a year ago.

The company has said it prefers to give the public updates via blog posts published every two months rather than speaking to the media. The company also claims to have responded to more than 220 inquiries submitted to nashville@boringcompany.com.

In August, The Boring Company said more than 40 stations are “in various stages of planning and design” and that Music City Loop will feature a station servicing the JW Marriott Nashville hotel located in SoBro. In May, the company announced a private station at local development company Giarratana LLC’s trio of Church Street towers. The company received approvals earlier this year from both the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, allowing the company to move forward with tunneling. Meanwhile, Nashville’s Metro Council has expressed its opposition to the project, noting concerns related to the environment, safety, transparency and accountability.

This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.