Nashville Signs Up For Tesla Loop Connecting Airport With Downtown, Neglecting Light Rail Plans

The Boring Company

Why money an existent nationalist proscription solution erstwhile personification is consenting to springiness you a gimmick for free? Elon Musk's Boring Company announced connected Monday that it will excavation nan Music City Loop, 10 miles of tunnels to link Nashville's downtown, normal halfway and world airport. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee claims nan task will travel "at zero costs to taxpayers." While location would beryllium a financial cost, nan opportunity costs of relinquishing nan resources and existent property for nan task could beryllium robbing nan nationalist of a ray obstruction statement aliases thing other pinch much capacity.

The original Vegas Loop was built successful 2021 to shuttle group crossed nan sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center successful Tesla Model Y electrical crossovers. The Music City Loop for Tennessee's largest metropolis will service a awesome airdrome that sees complete 24 cardinal passengers annually. The tunnel's right-of-way will beryllium beneath state-owned roads and highways, according to a connection from Governor Lee. This is pinch nan lofty promises that nan passageway will beryllium excavated without immoderate roadworthy closures, location will beryllium nary awesome motorboat pits for machinery, and nan Loop will unfastened by 2026. According to WKRN, nan Boring Company will lease a parking batch adjacent nan Tennessee State Capitol to usage arsenic its excavator staging area.

Wikimedia Commons / w_lemay

Final support for nan Music City Loop will beryllium wished connected Thursday by nan executive subcommittee of Tennessee's State Building Committee. It's easy to image that plentifulness of group find nan Music City Loop excessively bully to beryllium true, but they haven't been capable to sound their concerns complete nan public-private partnership. State Representative Justin Jones was denied introduction to nan announcement arena astatine Nashville International Airport. While airdrome officials initially stated that Governor Lee wanted nan Democratic legislator kept out, they later stated that Jones simply wasn't invited. An airdrome spokesperson said:

"As a awesome proscription hub and organization partner, we are committed to fostering beardown relationships pinch each members of our community. Admission to tonight's arena was granted to invited guests and credentialed media who had RSVP'd successful advance."

I don't cognize astir you, but excluding elected officials isn't an perfect measurement to build a narration pinch nan community. The Boring Company's scheme will apt way nan passageway nether Murfreesboro Pike, a state-owned roadworthy often included successful plans for a caller nationalist transit relationship to nan airport. If completed, a fleet of Model Ys will ever person little capacity than a similarly-sized fleet of buses. Cost is seemingly ever nan obstruction to improving transit infrastructure. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell projected a multi-billion dollar transit overhaul for nan city past year, but excluded a ray obstruction statement to nan airdrome complete costs concerns. Without nan will to money projects, officials are conscionable handing nan keys to nan opportunist pinch nan thickest checkbook.