03/03/2026
Its Official: Shovels Are in the Ground: Nashville Joins the Loop Network
The Boring Company made it official on March 1, 2026: Nashville's Music City Loop is no longer a proposal — it's actively under construction. Tunneling commenced just days after Tennessee's Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration jointly approved TBC's lease application and enhanced grading permit on February 25, 2026, clearing the final regulatory hurdles for the project.
The Prufrock-MB1 machine is already in the ground, according to verified project details. A second tunneling machine, Prufrock-MB2, is expected to arrive in Nashville in March. The speed of mobilization is notable — construction began within hours of receiving final approvals, underscoring TBC's aggressive build timeline.
📊 Key Figures
Metric Value Context
Route Length ~10 miles Downtown → BNA Airport
Estimated Cost $240M–$300M 100% privately funded
Travel Time (Target) ~8 minutes vs. 20–40 min by car
Tunneling Machines Active 1 (Prufrock-MB1) MB2 arriving March 2026
Expected Opening Spring–End of 2026 First segment
Taxpayer Cost $0 Fully private
What Is the Music City Loop?
The Music City Loop is a privately funded underground transit system connecting three key Nashville destinations: downtown Nashville, the Convention Center and Lower Broadway entertainment district, and Nashville International Airport (BNA). At approximately 10 miles long, the initial phase is designed to make the downtown-to-airport trip take roughly 8 minutes — a stark contrast to the 20 to 40 minutes that journey typically takes by car depending on traffic.
Passengers ride in dedicated Tesla vehicles — initially Model Ys and Model Xs operated by trained drivers — through pressurized tunnels running beneath state-owned road rights-of-way. The public-private partnership was formally announced on July 28, 2025, when Governor Lee and The Boring Company jointly unveiled the project. Critically, the $240–300 million estimated cost is borne entirely by TBC, with no financial liability for Tennessee taxpayers.