Nashville Approves Music City Loop: $34M Over 40 Years

On February 18, 2026, Nashville approved an urban tunnel project that could transform American urban mobility. The Boring Company, Elon Musk’s company specializing in underground infrastructure, received unanimous approval from the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) board to build its Music City Loop. This tunnel connecting the international airport to downtown is based on a unique economic model: zero public investment, 100% private funding, and guaranteed revenue for the city over four decades.

What particularly strikes me about this project is its bold financial angle, which disrupts the usual codes of transport infrastructure. Nashville is banking on innovation without taking budgetary risks, while The Boring Company is betting on the long-term profitability of a system of Tesla vehicles operating underground.

A Unanimous Vote That Marks a Milestone After 8 Months of Negotiations

On February 18, 2026, the MNAA board voted unanimously (7-0) to grant authorization to The Boring Company. This decision comes after eight months of intense negotiations that began in June 2025, a remarkably short timeframe for an infrastructure project of this magnitude.

Board members highlighted the speed of execution promised by The Boring Company, as well as the innovative nature of a solution that avoids the decades of planning typically required for subway or tram projects. By comparison, traditional public transport systems generally take 10 to 15 years from conception to commissioning.

What truly convinced the elected officials was above all the proposed financial model: no public funds will be committed, while guaranteeing substantial revenue for the airport authority.

Financial Terms: $34 Million Over 40 Years

A Four-Decade Agreement with Extension Options

The signed agreement runs for an initial period of 40 years, with two 5-year extension options, potentially reaching 50 years of collaboration. The Boring Company will pay annual licensing fees of $300,000 in the first year, with an automatic 3% annual indexation.

According to calculations, these licensing fees will generate approximately $34 million in guaranteed revenue for the airport over the total duration of the contract. In exchange, The Boring Company obtains the use of 933,000 square feet of airport land to build and operate its underground infrastructure.

Multiple Revenue Model for The Boring Company

Beyond the licensing fees paid to Nashville, The Boring Company will generate its own revenue through a per-ride fee system. Each pickup or drop-off at the airport will cost $5, an amount similar to the fees currently applied by Uber or Lyft in airport areas.

Projections estimate that The Boring Company could generate over $300 million in operational revenue over the total duration of the agreement. This dual economic model – user revenue + license paid to the community – has already proven successful with the Vegas Loop, where the system has been operating for several years now.

Zero Financial Risk for Nashville: A Decisive Argument

The element that undoubtedly sealed the unanimous vote is the complete absence of financial risk for the airport authority. No capital investment will be required from Nashville: The Boring Company finances 100% of the tunnel construction, estimates costs, assumes risks, and manages the full operation of the system.

Personally, I find this model fascinating: no city is used to seeing public transport financed this way. Usually, subway, tram, or even bus rapid transit projects swallow billions in public funds before even transporting the first passenger.

Board members explicitly mentioned this advantage: guaranteed revenue without initial expenditure, a politically powerful argument in a context where every public budget dollar is scrutinized. One official stated that “receiving millions while improving connectivity is a rare opportunity.”

However, I must qualify this: questions remain about long-term risks, particularly regarding tunnel safety and actual maintenance over several decades. But from a strictly budgetary perspective, Nashville is indeed risking nothing.

Between Economic Enthusiasm and Regulatory Concerns

Support: Tourism Sector and Mobility on Board

Leaders in Nashville’s tourism and hospitality sector welcomed the project, highlighting the smoothness of travel between the airport and downtown. For a city whose economy relies heavily on music tourism, reducing travel times and traffic congestion represents a competitive advantage.

The Music City Loop also positions Nashville as an innovative city, ready to test cutting-edge technologies. This “city of the future” brand image attracts investors and talent, beyond the simple transport benefit.

Critics: Safety, Environment, and Transparency

Some legislators, however, expressed reservations. The main concerns relate to safety standards in tunnels: emergency evacuation systems, fire management, incident procedures. The innovative nature of the system means there is little long-term data on its performance.

Environmental questions were also raised: what will be the impact of the drilling work? What is the overall carbon footprint of the system? And above all, some criticized the relative opacity of the negotiation process, conducted in eight months without broad public consultation.

In my opinion, these criticisms are normal and healthy in the face of any infrastructure innovation. They reflect necessary vigilance rather than principled opposition.

The Vegas Loop as a Model: Will Nashville Replicate the Success?

I have followed the evolution of the Vegas Loop in recent years, and the system has proven its operational viability. In Las Vegas, the Vegas Loop system that I observed in operation transports thousands of passengers daily between the various convention centers and hotels on the Strip.

Nashville, however, presents notable differences: the Music City Loop focuses on the airport-downtown connection, a use closer to conventional public transport than to event shuttles in Vegas. The question of hourly capacity will be crucial, especially during airport peak hours.

The Boring Company has also conducted the first Cybertruck trials in Boring Company tunnels, hinting at the possible diversification of the vehicle fleet used. As a fan of the Tesla ecosystem, I find it fascinating to see these electric vehicles become the backbone of a new type of urban infrastructure.

Other American cities are watching Nashville closely. If the project delivers on its promises, the model could be replicated quickly. The Boring Company also has other projects under development, such as the tunnel project to the Gigafactory Nevada, illustrating a progressive expansion strategy.

It remains to be seen whether this model could work in Europe or France, where regulatory complexities and safety standards differ significantly from the American context.

Nashville is therefore taking a calculated gamble: transforming its urban mobility without committing public funds, while generating revenue over several decades. The first groundbreaking is expected in the coming months, according to official statements.

Will this model inspire other metropolises? In the field of underground infrastructure, similar projects generally require approval from the competent authorities, a process that could hinder the rapid replication of the concept in other countries. The coming months will tell us if the initial enthusiasm translates into operational success, and if Nashville truly becomes a laboratory for a new generation of electric and underground urban transport.