Three Tennessee cities were among 16 finalists vying to be selected by The Boring Company to build a mile-long tunnel to be built at the company’s expense.
The company announced the Tunnel Vision Challenge in January, calling for tunnel proposals that solve the problem. The Boring Company will select a winner and build the tunnel “for free,” according to the company website.
Submitted tunnels can be used for freight, pedestrians, water, utilities, or the Loop (a traffic tunnel where Tesla vehicles are used exclusively to transport passengers for a fee).
According to one company, it received 487 entries and will announce the winner on March 23. Post on their X account.
The Boring Company and X are both owned by billionaire Elon Musk, who is also Tesla’s largest shareholder.
Tennessee finalists include Vol Loop, a proposed loop project in Knoxville; Mountain Mile Loop, a proposed loop project in Gatlinburg; and Hendersonville’s proposed utility tunnel.
The announcement of the finalists comes as The Boring Company begins drilling on one of its newest projects, the Music City Loop, near the state Capitol in Nashville.
Entries to the Tunnel Vision Challenge will be judged on practicality, community and stakeholder support, and technical, economic and regulatory feasibility, according to the company’s website. Participants are required to submit data to support projected benefits and list land and right-of-way owners along their proposed routes.
The website notes that the company may cancel or modify the contest at its sole discretion, including modifying the contest to select more than one winner or no winner at all.
Other finalists include:
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Ketchikan Airport Link, Loop Tunnel in Ketchikan, Alaska
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Fort Smith Tunnel, a utility tunnel in Fort Smith, Arkansas
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Ball Arena Tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel in Denver, Colorado
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Kansas City Chiefs Tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel in Kansas City, Kansas
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NOLA Loop, circular tunnel in New Orleans, Louisiana
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Ravens Loop, loop tunnel in Baltimore, Maryland
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Buffalo Bills Tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel in Orchard Park, New York
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Canal Underline, a pedestrian tunnel in Panama City, Panama
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Bastrop Pedestrian Tunnel in Bastrop, Texas
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Magnolia Loop, a circular tunnel in Waco, Texas
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Morgan’s Wonderland Tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel in San Antonio, Texas
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University Hills Loop, a circular tunnel in Dallas, Texas
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Woodlands Loop, Loop Tunnel in The Woodlands, Texas
The small town of Bastrop near Austin is home to several of Musk’s businesses, including The Boring Company, X, SpaceX and Starlink.
music city loop
Boring Company announces plans music city loop to work with state officials in 2025. The project includes a 9.5-mile tunnel from the state Capitol to Nashville International Airport and another approximately 3-mile line along Broadway connecting the West Side and Midtown.
The tunnel is expected to take at least two years to complete.
While The Boring Company has the support of Gov. Bill Lee and some state lawmakers, the Nashville community is skeptical.
Some Metro Nashville Council members and community members spoke out against the project at public meetings in February and early March. The routes would be built along state-owned roads, allowing the company to obtain building permits from the state’s Department of Transportation and avoid Metro Nashville regulations.
The Boring Company is paying for the tunnel’s construction costs as a “long-term investment” that will be repaid through passenger fares, Vice President David Buss said Monday at a community meeting in Nashville’s Boring neighborhood. The state granted the project a free lease to start construction on a state-owned parking lot near the Capitol and will not charge the company to dig tunnels under state highways.
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would create an Underground Transportation Infrastructure Coordinating Agency, $5 million in state fundingan 11-member board and 20 staff are responsible for issuing permits and developing regulations for such projects. Lawmakers are also considering bill This would direct property taxes from The Boring Company and other underground transit companies to the state comptroller’s office, meaning Davidson County would not collect those revenues.
The Boring Company, founded by Musk in 2017, proposed more than a dozen Loop projects similar to the Nashville Tunnel, but 10 failed to materialize. Boring broke ground on the Las Vegas Loop in 2020, and the tunnel is expected to be 68 miles long, with about 4 miles already completed. In February this year, the company started building a ring road in Dubai.
The Las Vegas project has been dogged by accusations Environmental and safety violations Boring has challenged OSHA fines, including those against firefighters who reportedly suffered chemical burns during a rescue training exercise. Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration Fines removed for this incident in November.
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