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The Boring Co., founded by Elon Musk, has begun work on an underground tunnel in Nashville.

Boring’s “Music City Loop” would function like a rideshare. Passengers will ride in individual Tesla cars on a fixed route connecting downtown Nashville to the city’s airport, with possible expansions in the future.

State officials have touted the project as a solution to traffic woes. Others worry about the tunnel’s possible impact on the environment and Nashville’s existing infrastructure.

Here’s everything we know about the project so far.

Function

Currently, the 8-mile journey from the airport to the Music City Convention Center can take anywhere from 12 to 30 minutes during peak traffic times. The Boring Co. estimates the same ride could take as little as 8 minutes with its fleet of underground Teslas.

There are plans for three stops along the Music City Loop: the Nashville International Airport (BNA), the Music City Convention Center, and the Tennessee State Capitol.

Despite talks with several other cities, The Boring Co. only has one other tunnel in operation. The Vegas Loop initially boasted 155 mph rides in self-driving Teslas when it was first announced. Since then, Boring has switched to driver-operated cars for the 2-mile tunnel that currently circles the Vegas strip.

With congestion, Vegas Loop riders have observed a top speed of 40 mph. Nashville’s tunnel would need Tesla drivers to maintain an average speed of 67 mph to deliver on the promise of an 8-minute trip.

In its pitch to Nashville, Boring has been less ambitious about the length and speed of its tunnel rides. Construction, on the other hand, will have a much faster timetable in Music City.

Timeline

The Boring Co. expects a quick turnaround on the project. The company initially estimated that Nashville’s tunnel would be operational by late 2026, but has now adjusted to early 2027.  It’s still an ambitious timeline; it took the company nearly three years to complete a tunnel a tenth of that length in Las Vegas. Other tunnel pitches never got that far. Cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, and Washington D.C. never moved forward on proposed tunnels.

The project is still officially in the planning stages, and The Boring Co. has said that drilling won’t start until the last quarter of the year. However, excavation is already underway at a downtown parking lot.

Government transparency

Fences went up around the state-owned lot before lawmakers officially approved the deal with Boring, a move state officials say is common in construction projects like these.

Members of the State Building Commission, none of whom represent Nashville, voted unanimously to give The Boring Co. a no-cost lease for the tunnel’s starting point. The agreement with the state dictates that Boring has to leave the lot in the same condition or better. If not, the company could be on the hook for the cost of repairing it.

The greenlight came soon after the project was unveiled to the public. Days prior, Gov. Bill Lee and other state Republicans announced the deal, touting that the tunnel would come at no cost to the taxpayer.

“It’s 100% privately funded. There will be no cost to Tennessee taxpayers,” Lee said. “For those that live here, it means that there’ll be less congestion on our roads. There will be less wear and tear on our highways.”

State lawmakers from Nashville disagree. The city’s statehouse delegation has argued that the development will only serve tourists at the expense of locals.

Many, like Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, have criticized the lack of input from both city and state officials who represent Nashville.

“You’re treating us like we’re a colony where you get to dictate to our constituents what is in their best interest. You keep their representation out of meetings,” Jones said. “You don’t even consider the impact to the health and safety of our community.”

State records do not show that there were any environmental reviews of the project — something that has served as a death knell for tunnel proposals in other cities.

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The Boring Co.’s existing tunnel in Las Vegas.

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