The company has started excavation work on a route that uses state roads, circumventing local authorities and review processes.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on October 27, 2025 to clarify that the project did not request or receive approval from the city by using state-owned streets along its route.
Elon Musk’s Boring Company has begun work on an underground tunnel in Nashville that would connect downtown to the airport, skirting city approval, reports Marianna Bacallao for NPR.
According to Bacallao, Nashville is one of the two cities (next to Las Vegas) where a Boring Company project has been approved — in this case, by the state. “Cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., never moved forward on proposed tunnels, mostly because those cities pushed for environmental reviews. Tennessee's governor says the tunnel is a free solution to the city's traffic woes.”
The project, which is privately funded, is designed to carefully trace an arc of state roads, circumventing local authority. But state lawmakers representing Nashville say “the development will only serve tourists, and locals stand to lose if the project fails but won't see any of the benefits if it succeeds.”
The company was fined $100,000 by OSHA over flooding in its Las Vegas tunnel, a concern that could be amplified in Nashville, which receives 10 times the amount of rainfall that Las Vegas does.
Read the full story: Musk's Boring Company begins Nashville tunnel, bypassing the city's approval
Miami Mayor Wants Federal Funding for Boring Company Tunnel
Mayor Francis Suarez thinks the tunnel could alleviate congestion, but critics argue the city's rising water table makes tunneling too expensive and impractical.
Tesla’s Self-Driving Still Not Working in Las Vegas Tunnels
The Boring Company had previously said it was working with Tesla to use its self-driving system in its tunnels below Las Vegas to save costs on drivers, but two years later, there is no clear timeline for “full autonomy.”
Dodger Stadium Gondola Completes Draft Environmental Impact Report
No World Series? At least Dodger fans can imagine themselves soaring over the traffic jams on the way to and from Dodger stadium in a new gondola.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
.jpg){kind=link}
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority