Fresh fury over Elon Musk’s Tesla tunnel loop as ‘blindsided’ lawmakers lodge complaints
Local lawmakers are furious about Elon Musk’s planned Tesla Tunnel Loop project beneath the streets of Nashville, but there’s little they can do about it.
The Metro Council passed a resolution Tuesday to raise concerns about safety, transparency and lack of local input.
The resolution, with 20 members voting for and 15 against and two abstentions, cannot force any of Musk’s companies to stop, block or change its plans for the Music City Loop.
But Nashville officials want to register their grievances after the politically connected tech billionaire’s company, The Boring Company, teamed up with state government partners willing to bypass local officials.
In July, Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and The Boring Company announced plans for the Music City Loop, comprising an initial 13-mile (21-kilometer) segment that would include connecting the airport and downtown, which was later expanded to approximately 25 miles to include a second leg west of downtown.
They promised a project that would cost taxpayers nothing, but with free use of some state land near the Capitol. The first section of the tunnel is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2027.
The Nashville Loop relies on a fleet of dedicated Tesla vehicles operated by trained drivers, with more than 30 stations under design and the potential to create more routes and stations. The company says the cost of the trip should be lower than other transportation options. The cars will be driven by humans, although the company says it could explore autonomous vehicles in the future.
“Colleagues, public lands must be for the public good and public infrastructure decisions must prioritize the well-being, safety and expressed needs of Nashville residents,” Delishia Porterfield, who sponsored the resolution, said Tuesday evening before the vote.
John Rutherford, a council member who voted against the resolution, asked his colleagues to put aside their political views on Musk. He said an opposition vote risks closing the door to any dialogue with The Boring Company.
A representative for The Boring Company did not immediately provide comment when contacted by the AP.
The Boring Company has another Tesla Tunnel in Las Vegas that already offers rides in electric cars, although the full route is not complete. The company lists some research tunnels in use, including one in Texas in which passengers could travel in self-driving electric pods at more than 600 mph (965 km/h). Tunnel projects in other cities have failed. Abroad, another Boring Company tunnel is planned in Dubai.
The Nashville project got off to a bumpy start at the July announcement at Nashville International Airport, when Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones, whose Nashville district includes the airport, was blocked from accessing the event.
The Boring Company CEO Steve Davis said when announcing the project that they chose Nashville because of the need to manage traffic and the partnership with state officials.
“Nashville has been fantastic. Moved incredibly quickly, so welcoming, so kind, so friendly,” Davis said.
But Nashville officials, advocates and others seemed mostly blindsided by the announcement, and the council resolution questions why the city was not “meaningfully” consulted on a major change to the transit roadmap in Music City, where transportation projects are still being rolled out after voters approved a tax increase on transit funding in 2024.
The resolution also calls attention to possible geological and environmental concerns, citing porous limestone underground that creates risks of sinkholes and water movement, in addition to the city’s history of major flooding.
Last month, officials with The Boring Company answered council questions and heard from residents who expressed concerns about environmental impacts, tunnel safety and the company’s compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The Boring Company claims to have “substantial experience in safely managing variable ground conditions,” including in Las Vegas. David Buss, vice president of business and government affairs, told the board that Nashville is “a great place to dig tunnels,” as evidenced by existing tunnels previously built by other entities.
This isn’t the first time a Musk-owned company has been criticized by Tennesseans for skirting regulatory loopholes and without warning. Its xAI data center began operating in Memphis in 2024, powered in part by pollution-emitting gas turbines, without first seeking a permit, leading residents to loudly protest at town meetings.
