Image Credit: The Boring Company via TN.gov & Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
As the Boring Company pushes ahead with test digs for their proposed Music City Loop to connect the Nashville Airport to downtown, new reports have revealed that no environmental or community research was conducted before Governor Lee approved the project.
On Tuesday, aerial images from News Channel 5 showed the 10-foot-deep, 20-by-20-foot test pit near the base of the state capitol. Reportedly, the only way to see images is from the air as the construction site is largely hidden from street view and surrounded by fencing and tarps.
According to the Tennessee Department of General Services, a much larger excavation- a roughly 40×100-foot rectangle, 30 feet deep- will be undertaken once the governor gives final approval. News 5 noted the depth’s significance as the The Boring Company “typically places its tunnels more than 30 feet below the surface to avoid utility lines.”
They also note that the city has not yet been asked to approve any digging, suggesting this preliminary work doesn’t interfere with water or electrical infrastructure.
The project has been promoted and supported by Tennessee leadership including Gov. Lee, gubernatorial hopeful Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
But that’s where support seems to end as significant citizen, lawmaker, and scientific pushback has arisen over the project’s seeming lack of transparency, community input, property rights issues, safety concerns, and the susceptibility of Tennessee’s geological composition to sinkholes and flooding.
According to a records request from the Nashville Banner, though the state knew about the project for well over a year before its announcement, Gov. Lee’s office did not conduct any community outreach, environmental, or other impact studies.
The only documents provided by the Governor’s Office were two email threads, both dated after the project was publicly announced.
The Governor’s Office has not provided any additional information on the project since its somewhat abrupt announcement in July and has not responded to questions from the Banner about the project’s origins.
The Boring Company has also not responded to certain press inquiries since late July, despite VP of Corporate Operations David Buss’ assertions that the company wants to be “as transparent as possible” and is “trying to do community outreach.”
Regarding environmental and safety impacts, while Boring Company CEO Steve Davis has said that Nashville is “a tough place to tunnel” because of “extremely hard rock, like way harder than it should be,” scientific analysis purports that the state’s geology has actually been “neglected” and “misunderstood”.
Buss has also referred to Nashville’s rock as “hard”, suggesting it would translate to “hopefully little settlement” during construction, but the reality is Nashville sits on limestone, a relatively soft sediment causing a vulnerability to sinkholes. Nashville is considered a “sinkhole hotspot” according to 2023 research from geological survey scientists at Frontiers in Earth Science.
Limestone dissolves like salt dissolves in water, creating a terrain “full of cracks and holes”, making the city prone to geological hazards. Molly Miller, professor emeritus of geology at Vanderbilt University, said, “[Limestone] is not hard. What makes it tricky is that it is sort of like Swiss cheese.”
Compounding the sinkhole risks, tunneling in these specific geological conditions will also impact the local water system, potentially affecting runoff and underground water movement which could impact flooding concerns and create long-term consequences.
The Boring Company has not been forthcoming or responsive to questions about safety approaches specifically taking into account Nashville’s geology, though Buss maintains the company has been doing geological research “throughout the process, and we’ll continue to do it throughout.”
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
