(The Center Square) – Motorists may no longer have to dodge construction and heavy traffic driving from the Nashville airport to downtown if a plan by a private company comes to fruition.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined Gov. Bill Lee on Monday in announcing an underground tunnel project he said will come at no cost to taxpayers. The 10-mile loop will transport passengers by automobile from the airport to downtown in about eight minutes, Lee said.
The Boring Company, founded by Elon Musk, will begin construction on the project dubbed the “Music City Loop,” as soon as approvals are received, the company said. It could be completed as soon as the fall of 2026, according to information from Lee.
“By leveraging the innovation of private sector companies like The Boring Company, we’re exploring possibilities we couldn’t achieve on our own as a state,” Lee said. “This partnership represents the kind of forward-thinking, fiscally responsible approach that will define the future of transportation in Tennessee.”
The tunnels could have stations in between, Steve Davis, president of The Boring Company, said at a news conference. The company is moving fast on hiring employees and will have a hiring event this week, he said.
Duffy said the Music City Loop is the kind of innovative project the Trump administration wants.
“I think this is a great way to cut through the red tape, to partner with private sector individuals and companies and move projects really fast,” Duffy said. “I think this project will go to great lengths to take more cars off the road, move people faster, create more business activity in your state and in your city, but also reduce the congestion of your great state.”
Lee said conversations with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who was not in attendance at the news conference, have been “incredibly productive to get us where we are today.”
The Boring Company operates a similar project in Las Vegas. But projects in other cities, including Chicago and Washington, D.C., did not come to fruition, according to a report from Axios.
Not everyone is excited about the Music City Loop.
State Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, has started an online petition opposing the tunnel.
“This is not about solving Nashville’s traffic problems,” Behn said in the petition. “This is about Elon Musk buying influence in our city and using public resources to pad his private empire. I don’t know about y’all, but this project will happen over my dead body.”
The petition had 1,532 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
Behn is running for the congressional seat vacated by the resignation of former Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green.
