Tennessee Approves New Permit for Boring Company’s Music City Loop

Elon Musk’s Boring Company won state and federal approval for a lease and grading permit to begin work along the state’s highway system for its Music City Loop tunnel project in Nashville, Gov. Bill Lee announced Feb. 25.

The loop will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the United States, according to the governor.

“Tennessee continues to lead the nation in finding innovative solutions to accommodate growth, and in partnership with The Boring Company, we are exploring possibilities we couldn’t achieve on our own,” Lee said.

The tunnel is designed as a roughly 10- to 19-mile underground transit system which will connect Nashville International Airport to Honky Tonk Row in downtown and the convention center, according to the company.

The Boring Company’s president Steve Davis thanked the local, state, and federal agencies to helping bring the project to fruition.

“Music City Loop will be a safe, fast, and fun public transportation system, and we are excited to build it in Nashville,” Davis said.

Initially, the project is expected to open with about 20 stops, but that could double over time if it is expanded, according to Davis.

The loop will be an all-electric, zero-emission, high-speed underground transit system owned and operated by the Boring Company and is designed to only operate using Tesla vehicles.

The project is fully funded by the private company and is expected to ultimately be paid for by the users. The tunnels will be built with American-made equipment.

The loop transit time from downtown to the airport will be about eight minutes, according to the governor’s office.

Construction of the Music City Loop started last year. The Boring Company can begin new construction on state-owned property along Tennessee’s highway system immediately, now that it has the necessary lease and permitting approvals, Lee’s office said. The first segment of the system is expected to be operation by the end of this year.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the project was an example of what is possible when private sector innovation is used to solve transportation challenges.

The lease approval “will help advance this ambitious project as we work to reduce congestion and make travel more seamless for the American people,” Duffy said.

The Boring Company’s similar project in Las Vegas opened in 2021, offering free rides around the convention center. It also charges between $4 and $12 for rides to some hotels, casinos, and the airport.

The project has received positive reviews by locals, but has come under scrutiny recently by state officials who have raised questions about workplace safety and environmental concerns.

Last year, the Vegas Loop expanded to serve more stops. The company reported it had transported more than 3 million passengers through eight stations using the system. Once complete, the Vegas Loop expects to serve up to 90,000 passengers per hour.