The Boring Company answers Mayor O'Connell's team's questions about tunnel project
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images
The Boring Company provided 18 pages of answers last week to questions from Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office about the firm's ambitious Music City Loop plan.
Why it matters: The Boring Company wants O'Connell and his team to back its proposed underground tunnel connecting downtown to the airport.
- Although the project will primarily be overseen by the state, the responses make clear Metro will also play an important role.
Driving the news: Many of the mayor's office's most pressing questions were about security and how first responders would access the underground tunnel in the event of an emergency.
- In an 18-page document obtained by Axios, the Boring Company says the tunnels are designed in accordance with National Fire Protection Association standards, including "exit spacing no greater than 2,500 feet."
- "Music City Loop will be compliant with any authorities having jurisdiction over life safety procedures," the company said in the document.
Of note: The Boring Company says it has held productive meetings with the state Fire Marshal's Office and the Nashville Fire Department.
What they're saying: "Music City Loop tunnels will be equipped with redundant communication infrastructure to support 911 calls and responder communications, similar to Vegas Loop," the Boring Company said in its responses.
- The Boring Company reiterated no road closures are expected as a result of its project, because the company uses high-tech boring machines well below the surface. The firm says it will work with utility companies for permissions if any aspect of its work intersects with existing infrastructure.
- The memo also describes how its tunnels handle rain and floodwater. "The stations are elevated with barriers and/or drains with pumps to keep water from running into the system," the company says.
Zoom out: O'Connell's team also questioned how the project would be regulated and what permits are necessary. The Boring Company is pursuing its tunnel underneath Rosa Parks Boulevard downtown and then continuing along Murfreesboro Pike to the airport.
- Elon Musk's firm says the Tennessee Department of Transportation will review its construction plans.
- A TDOT spokesperson tells Axios the Boring Company announced its intent to file a permit application with the department. The company will also obtain a long-term lease from TDOT for "occupancy and operation" of the tunnel, spokesperson Beth Emmons says.
- "It is standard operating procedure to tailor each permit to its corresponding application. This being a first-of-its-kind project, we expect this request would result in an enhanced grading permit to address the large scope of work," she says.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information