Public officials react to Elon Musk's Music City Loop project
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Image: Courtesy of the State of Tennessee Office of the Governor
Elon Musk's 10-mile tunnel project from downtown to the airport became an instant political lightning rod in Nashville after its announcement Monday.
Why it matters: Immediate reactions were all over the map. While Gov. Bill Lee sees the Music City Loop as a transformative transportation breakthrough, Democratic leaders see a possibly dangerous underground boondoggle.
What they're saying: House Speaker Cameron Sexton said the tunnel will be "a game-changer for how we travel and commute." He joined the chorus of Republicans and business leaders who praised the Music City Loop for its innovation.
- "We are challenging the status quo and looking forwards not backwards," he said in a post on X.
- "This partnership represents the kind of forward-thinking, fiscally responsible approach that will define the future of transportation in Tennessee," Lee said at Monday's announcement.
- The project counts leadership at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority and the Music City Center among its early backers.
The other side: Critics, led by Democratic elected officials, bashed the plan for its lack of public input, for its generous deal for Musk, and for possibly creating environmental and safety hazards.
- "This tunnel is the privatization of public infrastructure — designed to benefit a select few, not the people who actually live and work here," state Rep. Aftyn Behn said in a press release. "With over 20 million people passing through BNA every year, a low-capacity Tesla tunnel does nothing to solve the congestion crisis."
- "I think it's total overreach from the state government that claims to be about local government and local control blessing a project that wasn't properly procured or had any input from the local government and community that's impacted," Metro Councilmember Russ Bradford, whose district includes the airport, tells Axios. Bradford says he's worried about the "ecological and geological impacts of this tunnel."
In the middle: Nashville officials like Mayor Freddie O'Connell say they have questions about the plan, but they did not immediately come out in opposition.
- Metro Councilmember Jacob Kupin, whose district includes downtown, agreed there should have been city coordination but added, "I will thoughtfully evaluate this proposal to ensure that this benefits those who call Nashville home, who work in the city, as well as our great visitors while adequately addressing concerns and challenges."
What we're hearing: Executives from The Boring Company met with members of the business community in an event hosted by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday morning.
- Financial details of the tunnel remain hazy, other than Lee's disclosing the project would not cost taxpayers.
- Executives said The Boring Company plans to invest a couple hundred millions dollars in the Nashville tunnel, according to multiple sources who attended the event at AllianceBernstein.
- The tunnel would primarily travel down Murfreesboro Pike south of downtown to the airport, multiple sources told Axios.
What's next: The state Building Commission will meet Thursday to approve a lease agreement with The Boring Company to use a state-owned lot on Rosa Parks Boulevard.
- Under the proposal, The Boring Company would lease the parking lot at no cost and then return it to the state after construction is completed.
