State Rep. Sparks to Ask Elon Musk to Consider Tunnel Between Murfreesboro and Nashville

Earlier this year in July, Governor Bill Lee announced that The Boring Company, founded by Elon Musk, will build the Music City Loop, a privately funded underground tunnel in Nashville at no cost to taxpayers. The project’s first 10-mile phase will connect downtown and the Convention Center to the Nashville International Airport (BNA). Travel time between downtown Nashville and the airport will be about eight minutes. Representative Sparks told WGNS…

Supporters of the Music City Loop between BNA and downtown Nashville say they love the idea of a transit system between the airport and downtown, pointing to how it will reduce traffic, cut pollutants from vehicles on the roadways, and decrease the number of auto accidents.

While discussing traffic woes, Sparks noted that he dreads the morning drive to Nashville when legislators are in session. The long-time Smyrna resident said that traffic jams on I-24, the route he takes to reach the state capitol, can turn what should be a 30 to 35 minute commute, into a four-hour ordeal…

Governor Lee said the first segment of the tunnel in Nashville, between BNA and downtown, is projected to open by fall 2026. Senator Marsha Blackburn stated, “The Boring Company could not have picked a better new home for this state-of-the-art tunneling technology than Nashville, and I look forward to seeing the tremendous impact this investment will have on our city and its residents.”

Underground Transit Running in Nevada – In Las Vegas, an underground transit system built by Musk and operated by The Boring Company is already running beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Tesla vehicles transport passengers through tunnels to avoid surface traffic. Currently, the system uses human-driven cars at moderate speeds rather than the originally planned high-speed, driverless design.

A major expansion is already underway in Nevada: The full Vegas Loop will eventually cover 68 miles of tunnels with 93 stations, linking the Convention Center to hotels, the airport, and Allegiant Stadium. At that point there could be changes made on the vehicles, with the possibility of driverless transportation in the tunnel, but nothing concrete has been released.

The idea of a tunnel transit systemalong I-24 between Murfreesboro and downtown Nashville could potentially cut traffic in half, leading to fewer auto accidents, pollution and more. Rep. Sparks said in his letter to Musk, “According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, there were 15 fatal and serious injury crashes on these interstates in 2023, 16 in 2024, and already 11 so far in 2025.” Sparks emphasized the underground transit, if built,  would need to have stops along the route to include Smyrna, LaVergne and at different locations in Davidson County.

Scroll down for more information on the unerground loop being built in Nashville between the airport and downtown. Photos of the tunnel transit system being used now in LasVegas, along with a video of how the system works, can be found below. All of the released photos and video are from The Boring Company – below.

WGNS will continue to update listeners and readers about the idea of an underground transit system between Murfreesboro and Nashville as soon as Rep. Sparks receives feedback from Musk, which Sparks hopes will be positive. Scroll down for more photos of the system already in use in LasVegas and a video released by The Boring Company.