Tennessee plans tunnel to Nashville airport with Elon Musk’s Boring Company

It’s official. Elon Musk’s The Boring Company plans to build a high-speed tunnel from Nashville International Airport to downtown.

The name will be the Music City Loop.

“Nashville was selected by The Boring Company for its rapid growth, strong economic potential and dedication to embracing smart, forward-looking infrastructure,” state officials said in a statement. “The Music City Loop will remove thousands of vehicles from surface roads each day, easing traffic congestion while creating numerous job opportunities for Tennesseans.”

Top leaders in business and politics across Tennessee convened at BNA on July 28 to announce the “major economic development” project that’s been in the works for some time. The tunnel will cover approximately 10 miles from Nashville’s city center to Tennessee’s largest airport once complete.

Those involved in the deal included Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Nashville International Airport, Nashville Music City Center and Greater Nashville Hospitality Association.

“They could have taken their next underground loop anywhere, but they saw something unique about Tennessee,” Lee said. “The best part of all of it is it’s 100% privately funded. There will be no cost to Tennessee taxpayers.”

Construction is slated to begin immediately and is expected to be operational by the fall of 2026 at the earliest.

The Boring Co. recently received the TSA Gold Standard Award, the highest safety and security rating available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary said he is confident in the safety of the project. He also said his agency will streamline the process for necessary permits while also ensuring the safety of the project.

“At DOT, we don’t play favoritism,” Sean Duffy, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary said in the release. “The quality of the deal the governor has struck and the innovation that’s happening here, that’s why I’m excited.”

Boring Co. officials said there will be no road closures or impacts from construction.

“Compact tunnels reduce excavation volume and cost,” the company said. “Minimal vibration/noise ensures disruption-free operation during urban tunneling.”

The tunnel will reduce the commute between downtown Nashville and the airport to an eight-to-10-minute ride with Tesla vehicles shuttling passengers back and forth. President and CEO of The Boring Co. Steve Davis said construction will begin “as soon as possible” with the goal of completing the project in just two years.

“We started to look for another place where we should go, and there were really only two requirements: The system had to be useful, and the community had to be welcoming,” Davis said.

The Boring Co. plans to start with the downtown-to-BNA track and then expand to additional stops across Nashville.

Notably, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell was not in attendance Monday.

“We are aware of the state’s conversations with The Boring Company, and we have a number of operational questions to understand the potential impacts on Metro and Nashvillians,” O’Connell said.

More: Boring Company tunnel plan exposes tension between state, Nashville leaders — again

Questions remain: Cost estimate, exact path, incentives

During Monday’s announcement, officials touted the fact that the project will be “entirely privately funded,” with The Boring Co. incurring all associated costs. They did not share a total cost estimate for the project or details on any incentives or public goods The Boring Co. for selecting Tennessee as its next site.

“That’s determined by The Boring Co.,” Lee said. “They determine their own business model, what the costs are going to be, but the most important thing is it’s not going to cost the state.

Project leaders said the tunnel will follow along state routes, though an exact path is yet to be determined

What is The Boring Company?

Musk founded The Boring Co. in 2017 to specialize in constructing underground tunnels that work to streamline and enhance traditional transportation systems.

“To solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic, transportation networks need to match our 3D cities,” the company website states. “Tunneling enables an economical layered transportation network that can be expanded over time.”

The Texas-based company has finished three tunnel projects in Las Vegas: the Vegas Loop, the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop and the Resorts World Connector.

The Vegas Convention Center Loop, originally a 1.7-mile track, cost roughly $47 million.

“It’s fun. It’s quick. It’s convenient,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority, said. “It’s just being driven around in a Tesla.”

Tennessee reacts: Excitement, anger over the tunnel

As reports of the incoming tunnel announcement circulated through Nashville over the last week, politicians, locals and tourists alike voiced strong feelings.

Some tourists like Martin Cooper, applauded the idea for its convenience and potential to reduce traffic congestion to and from BNA.

“Less traffic accidents. Safer. Less congestion. I like what he (Musk) is doing,” Cooper said.

Others, like downtown resident Darold Rise, expressed concerns about private property being disrupted for construction and Musk’s company.

“How much private property do we need to tear up to do that?” Rise asked. “Is it all for progress? Or is he (Musk) making another billion dollars and ruining another Tennessee city?”

Tennessee Democratic representatives said a for-profit business, especially one of Musk’s, should not be entertained.

“Musk’s track record and all of this isn’t about solving traffic, it’s about privatizing infrastructure,” Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) said.

“It’s a continuum of Governor Lee’s agenda of privatizing every last public good we have,” she added.

Additionally, Tennessee state Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) who serves on the Transportation and Safety Committee said she supports public transit improvements, but not from Musk.

“If Nashville really wants to lead, we should be investing in public transit that serves everyone,” Campbell said. “Not building vanity projects for billionaires that sidestep regulation and extract value from our communities without putting anything meaningful back.”

This marks the latest instance of longstanding contentions surrounding Nashville International Airport. Earlier this month, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti petitioned the state Supreme Court to accept arguments over a 2023 law that would transfer control over Metro Nashville Airport Authority from the city to the state.

In a trial court and the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Metro Nashville attorneys claimed the law was unconstitutional and unfairly targets local government.

What happened to Nashville’s last tunnel proposition?

Musk’s tunnel venture comes nearly eight years after then-Mayor Megan Barry proposed her own tunnel that would run under Music City. A light rail system and three-stop downtown tunnel were a small part of Barry’s sweeping $5.2 billion transit plan that she pushed for in 2017.

Ultimately, the plan was put to a vote on local ballots, and Nashvillians resoundingly rejected it.

The tunnel alone was set to cost $900 million, but no specific price tag came on the light rail running from downtown Nashville to BNA.

Project leaders told The Tennessean at the time that going underground downtown was necessary to avoid “complicated right-of-way acquisitions.”

Neither Musk’s nor Barry’s proposed tunnels have anything to do with the existing network of 50-year-old tunnels downtown. Those belong to District Energy System and are filled with pipes to power air conditioning, heating and heating water.

They will not be disrupted by the incoming Boring Company tunnel.

This story is developing and will be updated with more information.

Keith Sharon and Austin Hornbostel contributed reporting to this story.

Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean.

Stuart Dyos covers the automotive industry in Middle Tennessee and beyond. He can be reached at sdyos@gannett.com. To support his work, subscribe to The Tennessean.

This story was updated to add a gallery.  

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville airport tunnel announced: Location, cost, more details