Of interest, Elon Musk has a Data Center and it’s causing toxic pollution in poorer communities, resulting in Asthma. This should be everyone’s concern.
It’s nice Musk’s Boring Co is building a Tunnel under Nashville shaving 4 min off of commuter time, it would be better to have healthy kids.
There’s nothing quite like a long weekend to bring out society’s strangest drivers.
Esoteric bumper stickers. Moves previously thought impossible by someone who presumably passed state driving tests at one point in time. Out-of-state trucks treating the shoulder as their own personal HOV lane in the snarl of stop-and-go-drivers. And worse of all, Venmo handles painted in rear windows, urging the average passerby to buy the bride a drink.
Gov. Bill Lee and other top members of the state’s GOP say the solution is under our very feet. They’ve announced that Elon Musk’s Boring Co. will construct a tunnel in Nashville, connecting the airport to downtown. Think a rideshare, but with a private, underground lane and an all-electric fleet of Teslas.
Here’s what we know so far.
WHAT TO KNOW
The Boring Co.’s existing tunnel in Las Vegas. Credit: The Boring Co.
Currently, the 8-mile journey from the airport to the Music City Convention Center can take anywhere from 12 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. The Boring Co. estimates the same ride could take as little as 8 minutes once “Music City Loop” is operational.
In Boring’s current Las Vegas tunnel, riders have observed a top speed of 40 mph. Nashville’s tunnel will need Tesla drivers to maintain an average speed of 67 mph to deliver on the promise of an 8-minute trip.
The Boring Co. expects a quick turnaround on the project, estimating that Nashville’s tunnel will be operational by late 2026. In comparison, it took the company nearly three years to complete a tunnel a tenth of that length in Vegas.
In Nashville, Boring has a stricter time limit; the state gave the company a no-cost lease to state-owned parking lot to serve as a starting point, but it has an expiration date of early 2027. Tennessee Republicans have touted the tunnel as a free solution to the city’s traffic woes.
“It’s 100% privately funded. There will be no cost to Tennessee taxpayers,” Lee said. “For those that live here, it means that there’ll be less congestion on our roads. There will be less wear and tear on our highways.”
State lawmakers from Nashville disagree. The city’s statehouse delegation has argued that the development will only serve tourists at the expense of locals.
Many, like Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, have criticized the lack of input from both city and state officials who represent Nashville.
“You’re treating us like we’re a colony where you get to dictate to our constituents what is in their best interest. You keep their representation out of meetings,” Jones said. “You don’t even consider the impact to the health and safety of our community.”
Learn more about the possible impacts of Boring’s tunnel here.
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MORE TO KNOW
- Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is donating an unspecified amount to four Memphis Shelby County Schools. The company says it will fund HVAC improvements, athletic facilities and science labs. But a small group of students say the gift comes with a moral and environmental cost. Chalkbeat spoke with youth activists who call the donation an attempt to smooth over concerns about the company’s controversial data center. They say it is contributing to toxic air pollution that increases health risks in a historically Black neighborhood.
- Almost a year after historic flooding from Hurricane Helene hit Unicoi County, in East Tennessee, the state is giving three companies there money to rehire workers. They are in the Erwin Riverview Industrial Park and have either not yet restarted or are only in the early stages. They make things like plastics, foam insulation, and polyethylene pipe. In all, state officials say the $4 million move will help keep more than 160 jobs in the area. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports another plastics company where six people died in the flooding did not apply for the grant.
- Hamilton County’s school district is considering a way to create affordable housing for teachers. The idea is to lend land owned by the district to Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise to build about 70 units. Those would then be available to Hamilton County Schools employees, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The concept is in its early stages, and not yet ready for a vote by the school board. The median rent in Hamilton County has climbed by more than 50 percent over the last decade.
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