Heavy Equipment Arrives for Music City Loop — Permits Still Pending, Officials Warn of Risks

The Boring Company has begun moving additional heavy machinery into Nashville for the proposed Music City Loop, a roughly 9.5-mile tunnel planned to link Nashville International Airport, the State Capitol and the Music City Center with about 20 stations and potential stops near Broadway.

Company posts show two rock-removal machines and an extensive conveyor setup on site. The Boring Company says it aims to begin tunneling by the end of the year, pending completion of final designs and receipt of all required permits and leases.

Mark Abolins, professor of geosciences at Middle Tennessee State University, said: 'It is a somewhat challenging environment to tunnel through, but it has been done. Typically, a lot of effort goes into understanding subsurface conditions using geophysics, electrical and magnetic surveys and vibration studies.'

Residents reported hearing blasting near the project's entry point last October, and recent social posts from the company show rock-removal equipment already assembled on site. According to The Boring Company, the machine configuration includes about 18 miles of conveyor belt for the roughly 9-mile tunnel and can move more than 33,000 pounds of rock per minute. The company says excavated material will be hauled to approved disposal or recycling sites.

Despite visible site activity, local officials say key permits remain unresolved. House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons said communications with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) indicate several permit applications still need to be filed and approved. 'These recent reports about a conveyor belt to remove gravel from this project are pretty surprising because we have received no updates at this time,' Clemmons said.

TDOT confirmed it is still processing permit requests and noted the project requires a long-term lease for use of state property; that lease would also need Federal Highway Administration approval before major construction can proceed. TDOT added that, as a first-of-its-kind undertaking in the state, the request would likely require an enhanced grading permit and additional information or conditions to ensure state interests are protected during construction.

Critics have raised concerns about how excavated material will be handled. Clemmons argued the state should have retained ownership rights to the gravel and other materials that will be extracted, calling the existing arrangements 'fiscally reckless.' The Boring Company has said it will operate dust-control systems and is finalizing tests on new gripper and thrust technology described as capable of bracing against about 4 million pounds of rock and exerting roughly 1.5 million pounds of thrust.

Experts caution that even advanced technology cannot eliminate subsurface uncertainties. Abolins warned that tunneling through limestone—common beneath Nashville—can be complicated by caves and enlarged fractures that allow water to move rapidly. That movement could introduce water into tunnels and potentially allow construction-related substances to migrate through the karst system, posing environmental concerns.

News outlets and local officials say they have reached out to The Boring Company for further comment; the company has not provided a public response at the time of publication.