NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Boring Company published its first blog since October on Nashville’s underground tunnel project, addressing recent safety allegations while announcing that tunneling could begin as early as January — a “best guess,” pending final permits.
In the post, Elon Musk’s tunneling company said its custom-built machine for Nashville’s geology, will be ready to launch by Dec. 15, and that it was assembled on-site, lowered into the launch shaft, and is undergoing final system checks.
This update comes after Shane Trucking and Excavating told the Nashville Banner last week that a crew walked off the job over safety concerns and unpaid wages. The contractor reported filing multiple OSHA safety complaints regarding personal protective equipment and unsafe shoring practices.
The Boring Company responded by reviewing video footage from the past two weeks, claiming it found “100% PPE compliance by their own employees.” However, the company acknowledged eight violations by contractors, who they said were removed from the site.
“I want to reiterate what I said earlier, which is that the absolute top priority is that this is the safest possible public transportation system,” a company representative said during a recent public Q&A.
The company defended its shoring system — which includes more than 20,000 pounds of steel soldier piles embedded into rock, wooden lagging, and concrete — stating it meets industry standards. They also reported zero injuries or incidents at the construction site.
Beyond addressing safety concerns, the Boring Company revealed potential expansion plans for the Music City Loop. The proposed Broadway alignment would extend southwest from Lower Broadway along West End Avenue, past Centennial Park and Vanderbilt University, to near Interstate 440. More than 30 station locations are currently in various stages of design.
The company plans to release its Environmental Impact Assessment on Dec. 15. They say the studies found “positive impacts in many categories and no meaningful impacts in all others,” including noise and vibration, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous materials, aquatic resources, rare species, cultural resources, and traffic.
The privately funded tunnel system will connect downtown Nashville to the airport through an underground transportation network. The Music City Loop requires 45 separate permits; so far, 27 have been secured, 10 are under review, and 8 remain — mostly tied to additional launch sites for completing the Broadway and airport alignments.
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