NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Boring Company appears to be making progress on their promise to build an underground tunnel system using Teslas to connect downtown to the Nashville International Airport. But it comes as tension is growing between Elon Musk's company and Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell.
According to the Boring Company, they have added water chillers, a compressed air system, electric hookups from Nashville Electric Service and a conveyor-built system to remove rock and soil once excavation begins. However, the actual boring machines have not yet arrived on site.
The ambitious Music City Loop project would eventually connect the State Capitol to Nashville International Airport, but the company faces a complex approval process requiring 45 separate permits and approvals. This doesn't include the 20 stations being considered for passenger boarding and disembarking.
Beyond city permits, the Boring Company will need special permission from the Tennessee Department of Transportation to run the tunnel under interstate highways, CSX approval to go beneath their rail lines, and federal government authorization to dig on airport property.
If you'd like to read more updates from the Boring Company, you can find their full blog post here.
"They've partially answered our questions."
The Boring Company claims they have responded to O'Connell's list of more than 70 questions about the project. We asked Mayor Freddie O'Connell about that, following his Friday address on Vanderbilt's campus.
"They've partially answered our questions. I mean this is going to be an iterative process," O'Connell said.
Mayor O'Connell gave a few examples of some of the details the city is requesting. "Everything from — are there going to be stations? Is this state right of way? What does the point to point look like? There are still a lot of details left to be determined."
The mayor indicated he wants more direct answers moving forward but insisted the city will treat the Boring Company like any other contractor in the city. "As they apply for permits, we'll offer fair review of those," O'Connell said.
A spokesperson for the Mayor went into greater detail. "The answers received from The Boring Company in September are being vetted through multiple Metro departments to determine where we need clarification and additional information, particularly as it relates to issues of life safety and operational impacts," wrote Julie Smith, a spokesperson for Mayor Freddie O'Connell.
The disconnect between the mayor's office and the Boring Company may run deeper than publicly acknowledged. According to someone with direct knowledge of a recent follow up meeting between city officials and the company, city representatives still didn't receive detailed answers because they weren't able to ask questions during the meet up. They apparently listened to a presentation the Boring Company has given to other civic organizations.
That meeting was after the Boring Company apparently missed several deadlines to answer the city's questions.
The Boring Company has pledged to post project updates twice monthly on their website as the tunnel development continues.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
One of the best things about Tennessee is its beauty. Reporter, Chris Davis, certainly makes the most of it as an avid hunter and fisherman. When he turned the spotlight on the potential funding shortfall the TWRA is facing - it hit a nerve with many of our viewers. To find out more, make sure to watch this story.
- Carrie Sharp
