queries Nashville Mayor's office regarding Boring Company's tunnel proposal
In a recent letter, the Nashville mayor's office has posed over 60 questions to The Boring Company regarding the proposed Music City Loop. The questions focus on emergency service responses, city transportation impacts, and various practicalities associated with the project.
The proposed Music City Loop, designed to connect downtown Nashville, the Music City Center, and Nashville International Airport, is being developed with extensive emergency service responses and city transportation impacts in mind.
Emergency Service Responses
The Loop system is designed to meet or exceed National Fire Protection Association (NFPA-130) fire and life safety standards, similar to the safety protocols of the Vegas Loop. Safety features include real-time gas and smoke detection, a wet standpipe fire suppression system, bidirectional redundant ventilation, and fully illuminated tunnels with redundant lighting.
Emergency communications infrastructure incorporates direct contact with a 24/7 staffed Operations Control Center, Blue Light stations, LTE cell service, secured WiFi, and tailored police and fire emergency communications systems. Continuous video surveillance covers 100% of the tunnels, including passenger entry points, enabling immediate detection of emergencies or suspicious behavior.
The Boring Company collaborates closely with Nashville’s fire and police departments, conducting hundreds of joint drills, ensuring first responders have access and training for emergencies. However, challenges and questions remain regarding emergency vehicle access points, radio communication signals in tunnels, and emergency personnel's ability to reach vehicles inside tight tunnel spaces.
City Transportation Impacts
The Music City Loop aims to remove thousands of vehicles from surface roads daily, significantly easing traffic congestion on Nashville streets and state highways. The system will provide fast, all-electric, zero-emission underground travel, improving travel efficiency and reducing surface traffic.
It is designed to support large-scale traffic management, particularly during major events, peak convention seasons, and heightened travel periods, providing predictable transit times. The Loop creates a new, reliable, and safe alternative for convention and business travelers, which could integrate with other transit options and boost economic activity.
Planning considerations involve how the Loop integrates with existing or proposed transit hubs such as the SoBro Transit Center and the East Bank Transit Center, optimizing accessibility and benefit to both residents and visitors. Some technical details remain under discussion including station locations, tunnel alignment related to the Murfreesboro Pike right-of-way, and vehicle specifications for the underground transit.
The mayor's office has also inquired about the installation of wireless repeaters or radio frequency extenders for 911 calls in the tunnel, the location of emergency access points for the proposed tunnel, and the coordination with a transportation center to be built at the airport for WeGo Public Transit.
Additionally, questions have been raised about the environmental review for the project, community input in the design and construction phases, the ventilation system for smoke and gas in the tunnel in case a vehicle battery ignites, the estimated cost, ownership, liability, maintenance and insurance, and who will operate the tunnel, among other concerns.
It is worth noting that the state has approved a no-cost lease for a state-owned parking lot near the Capitol for tunneling. The state will make a long-term lease agreement for right of way underneath state highways in return for Boring constructing the project. However, the proposed tunnel route and depth could conflict with existing storm and sewer tunnels and a future sewer tunnel.
The mayor's office has also asked about potential land leases and sales at the airport, whether these would have to go through the Metro Council, and how Nashville can prevent pedestrians from entering the tunnel, citing the Las Vegas loop's pedestrian prohibition.
In summary, the Music City Loop proposes robust emergency safety standards with active collaboration with first responders, though practical emergency access details are still being clarified. Transportation-wise, it promises to significantly reduce surface traffic congestion through a modern underground transit system focused on airport and downtown connectivity. The mayor's office is currently seeking more information and clarification on various aspects of the project.
[1] The Boring Company. (n.d.). Music City Loop. Retrieved from https://www.boringcompany.com/projects/music-city-loop
[2] Nashville Post. (2021, March 24). Nashville mayor's office sends list of questions to Boring Company about Music City Loop. Retrieved from https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/transportation/article/21148512/nashville-mayors-office-sends-list-of-questions-to-boring-company-about-music-city-loop
[3] Nashville Public Radio. (2021, March 24). Nashville Mayor John Cooper sends Boring Company a list of questions about Music City Loop. Retrieved from https://wamu.org/story/21/03/24/nashville-mayor-john-cooper-sends-boring-company-a-list-of-questions-about-music-city-loop/
- The Music City Loop, being developed with extensive safety measures and city transportation considerations, aims to reduce surface traffic congestion by thousands of vehicles daily and create a new, reliable, and safe alternative for transportation, particularly for airport and downtown travel.
- The proposed Music City Loop incorporates emergency service responses with advanced safety features such as real-time gas and smoke detection, a fire suppression system, and collaborations with local fire and police departments for emergency preparedness. However, there are ongoing discussions about emergency vehicle access points, radio communication signals in tunnels, and emergency personnel's ability to reach vehicles in tight tunnel spaces.
- The project's development involves addressing various practicalities, including the integration of the Music City Loop with existing or proposed transit hubs, the installation of wireless repeaters for emergency calls, and questions regarding land leases, sales, and pedestrian access at the airport, all of which are under scrutiny by the Nashville mayor's office.
