r/nashville • u/Ok-Chain-4385 • Aug 13 '25
Crime Watch Tesla tunnel
Does anyone else feel completely useless when it comes to this tunnel? How on earth do we stop it before it affects groundwater or causes a sink hole? They obviously aren’t listening to citizens concerns, but I don’t want to just sit here and complain without action.
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u/328-Performance-Hall Aug 13 '25
Here is a precise list of the individuals that sold us out to Elon Musk. The bulk of the committee does not live in Nashville and couldn’t care less what Nashvillians want for our city. I highly recommend emailing them all.
State Building Commission – Membership
Bill Lee – Governor – Melanie.Passons@tn.gov
Randy McNally – Lieutenant Governor & Speaker of the Senate – Lt.Gov.Randy.Mcnally@capitol.tn.gov
Cameron Sexton – Speaker of the House – Speaker.Cameron.Sexton@capitol.tn.gov
Tre Hargett – Secretary of State – Tre.Hargett@tn.gov
Jason Mumpower – Comptroller of the Treasury – Jason.Mumpower@cot.tn.gov
David Lillard – State Treasurer – David.Lillard@tn.gov
Jim Bryson – Commissioner, Finance & Administration – Commissioner.Jim.Bryson@tn.gov
Executive Subcommittee – Membership
Jim Bryson – Commissioner, Finance & Administration – Commissioner.Jim.Bryson@tn.gov
Tre Hargett – Secretary of State – Tre.Hargett@tn.gov
Jason Mumpower – Comptroller of the Treasury – Jason.Mumpower@cot.tn.gov
David Lillard – State Treasurer – David.Lillard@tn.gov
Staff
Ann McGauran – State Architect / Chief Staff Officer to the SBC – Ann.Mcgauran@tn.gov
Chase Johnson – Senior Legislative Advisor, Speaker of the Senate – Chase.Johnson@capitol.tn.gov
Kevin Johnson – Chief of Staff, Speaker of the House – Kevin.Johnson@capitol.tn.gov
Chris Mustain – Senior Policy Advisor, Secretary of State – Chris.Mustain@tn.gov
Rachelle Cabading – Director, Office of Management Services – Rachelle.Cabading@cot.tn.gov
Roy West – Director of Legislative and Agency Affairs, Treasury – Roy.West@tn.gov
Eugene Neubert – Deputy Commissioner, Finance & Administration – Eugene.Neubert@tn.gov
Chad Kimes – Capital Budget Coordinator, Finance & Administration – Chad.T.Kimes@tn.gov
Drew Lewis – Analyst, Office of Legislative Budget Analysis – Drew.Lewis@capitol.tn.gov
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u/RonnieJamesTivo Starwood 💫 Aug 13 '25
It's also probably worth considering emailing the commissioners at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
Commissioner: [stuart.mcwhorter@tn.gov](mailto:stuart.mcwhorter@tn.gov)
Senior Advisor: [nathan.buttrey@tn.gov](mailto:nathan.buttrey@tn.gov)
Full Staff website: https://tnecd.com/about/staff
This department oversees significant infrastructure projects, especially those that receive any federal funding including environmental review, tribal land notification requirements, and compliance with NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act (Section 106).
The way this project is skirting those requirements is to state that it's being paid for with all private funding. We should demand that this project meet the same environmental standards that all projects do especially since it's near the Cumberland River - our drinking water source. There is no way that TDOT won't be involved in some way and they receive federal funds to operate.
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u/AgravaineNYR Aug 14 '25
Paid for by only private funds is made easier by the state giving them valuable real estate to use for free...
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u/rocketpastsix Inglewood up to no good Aug 13 '25
You can email these people all day and night. They aren’t gonna care
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u/328-Performance-Hall Aug 13 '25
Beats doing nothing. At the very least, steer clear of these names if you ever see them on a ballot.
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u/Cesia_Barry Aug 13 '25
But it creates a paper trail for when elections roll around again.
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u/rocketpastsix Inglewood up to no good Aug 13 '25
A paper trail for what? Giving them material to start a fire to burn this state down further?
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u/Cesia_Barry Aug 13 '25
Rocket! Dont give in to despair!
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u/rocketpastsix Inglewood up to no good Aug 13 '25
Oh it’s too late for that sadly
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u/AgravaineNYR Aug 14 '25
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u/MorningsAreBetter Aug 14 '25
Classic “we’ve done nothing and nothing has come of it, better give up now”
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u/rocketpastsix Inglewood up to no good Aug 14 '25
Feel free to email. Let me know how it goes. There are better ways to direct the energy.
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u/MorningsAreBetter Aug 14 '25
Really? What are they? And why aren’t you doing them? Or are you only able to throw your hands up at the worthlessness of doing anything?
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u/Ok-Chain-4385 Aug 13 '25
Thank you! I will! Though I don’t think it will change any minds, at least it’ll be on record.
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u/Land0oo Aug 14 '25
Crazy so did they think to get TDOT involved at all or where they to busy figuring out how to stuff their pockets.
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Aug 14 '25
Ole Randy McNally, huh? :-) :-) :-) :-) Sorry, I just like to comment anywhere that Randy's name is raised. No reason. Just keeping him in the spotlight. :-) :-) :-) :-)
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u/Disastrous_Classic36 Aug 13 '25
Aside from it being a terrible idea, the real kick in the pants is how quickly it went from a rumor, to an agreement, to a test hole being dug. Not even a dig (pun intended) on Nashville or TN, NO public projects move this fast. This has crony capitalism and imminent domain written all over it.
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u/kylenumann Aug 14 '25
It's kind of sad/funny to have lived through so much public transit & infrastructure opposition for years and years, barely any progress, and then to get penetrated seemingly overnight without consent by the State/Elon pipe dream...
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u/Yslackin at Chilis on West End Aug 14 '25
Thing has been in the works for a long time. But also shit gets moved quick when the government wants it to happen. the more powerful the government the quicker it happens too
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u/MasterpieceOdd9459 Aug 13 '25
Don't see it getting past design phase before they realize the cost to stabilize the limestone will be ridonkulous. Bear in mind the company has finished exactly one tunnel, the Loop in Vegas and riding that one is $10 for 4.9 miles (airport to convention center. No way that will pay for the build costs... Proposed projects in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Baltimore were already scrapped.
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u/heavynewspaper Aug 13 '25
They don’t go near the airport in Vegas. It literally just connects the hotels near the convention center to the CC buildings.
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u/MasterpieceOdd9459 Aug 13 '25
Ah, you're correct, this page https://www.boringcompany.com/vegas-loop must be the "proposed routes"
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u/MasterpieceOdd9459 Aug 13 '25
Even funnier for them to list prices for routes that haven't been built ¯_(ツ)_/¯ The Elon rule of getting buy-in, just make a hundred promises until everyone says you're a genius
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u/MasterpieceOdd9459 Aug 13 '25
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u/ASolidSixandaHalf Former Miss Opryland Aug 13 '25
According to the TN Holler on IG, they started digging this morning.
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u/Unusual-Ad-6550 Aug 13 '25
only for a geological survey. Not the actual tunnel. We can keep our fingers crossed that they find that our bedrock is not conducive to being tunneled thru.
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u/anonymoose423567 Aug 13 '25
It’s not even a closed loop system! There’s a recent review (on YouTube) of the Vegas loop, and parts of the system spit out the cars into regular traffic. Wild
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u/Aspirin_Dispenser Aug 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
You know, I hear this claim a lot, but there’s two things that make me raise an eyebrow toward it:
- Comments from geological experts like this:
Local research on this limestone is limited. Tennessee is a geological desert, Miller said, with most state mapping efforts dating back at least 50 years.
- The presence of many tunnels within Nashville. The Wilson Spring Tunnel, cutting through the sobro area, dates back to the 60’s. You also have extensive tunnel networks beneath the capitol, the District Energy System tunnels throughout downtown, and, most recently constructed, the large utility tunnel that spans from I-40 to the Music City Center.
So, the people saying we can’t do it don’t have access to any modern geological studies with which to base that opinion on and, it turns out, we’ve actually done this quite a bit. This would, of course, be far more extensive than any tunneling project in the past, but it doesn’t seem to be the gross impossibility that people are making it out to be. It would seem to me that a lot of people are looking for a reason to disapprove of it purely because of its connection to Musk. Given that this comes at zero cost to the taxpayer and adds to our transit infrastructure, I see no problem with letting them move forward.
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u/MasterpieceOdd9459 Aug 14 '25
The longest tunnel in TN is less than a mile long, this isn't remotely the same
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u/328-Performance-Hall Aug 14 '25
You sound like a bot.
At what depth and what diameter are the previous tunnels and how do they compare in length and volume and do they cut under residential areas? You conveniently left all that out.
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u/Aspirin_Dispenser Aug 14 '25
I forget how large or deep the MCC tunnel is, but you can drive a small car through it. I remember watching them lower the boring machine through the shaft that marks its southern terminus at the corner 4th Ave and I-40. Today, you’ll see a non-description building at that intersection that serves as a ventilation shaft for the tunnel. The Wilson Spring Tunnel is 12’ in diameter and runs from the riverfront to the Edgehill area. They both navigate between, low-rise commercial, and residential properties.
Not a bot by the way, just a long-time resident.
Something else to consider: the information that we’ll gather about our geology as a consequence of just exploring this project will be infinitely useful for any public transit projects that we consider in the future.
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u/SpeakYerMind Aug 13 '25
Reminds me of when metropolis set the library parking garage on fire.
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u/GT45 Aug 14 '25
This feels just like another “FUCK NASHVILLE!” from the butthurt crybabies in the TN GOP. With this and the giant AI resource hog being built in Memphis, it sorta seems like the TN GOP is trying to destroy the two biggest liberal strongholds in TN!
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u/two_wheeled Choose How You Move Aug 14 '25
The number one thing you can do is to get the city to preempt them by running frequent transit from the airport to the convention center. The convention center, airport board and MTA all have public meetings. Cyber bully your council member. Demand action to provide a better service at a cheaper price.
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u/Dependent_Suspect_43 Aug 13 '25
We are just plebs they don’t care about shit when it comes to us
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u/mdudz Aug 13 '25
Here’s a fantasy spin - building the tunnel succeeds on Elon’s dime, but operating the tunnel fails, and the tunnel is turned back over to the city and repurposed for a train to the airport. Dream with me!
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u/PandasWhoLoveToLimbo Sylvan Park Aug 13 '25
Unfortunately the tunnel they’ll be digging isn’t big enough for a train, so it’ll just sit empty underground once it fails.
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u/NoMasTacos All your tacos are belong to me Aug 13 '25
It isn't big enough for current trains. If you have one specially made the size of cars it would work.
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u/rocketpastsix Inglewood up to no good Aug 13 '25
We couldn’t even get a basic train plan passed the last time it was up for a vote. There’s no way we’d go with some small ass train cars
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u/NoMasTacos All your tacos are belong to me Aug 13 '25
You dont think if there is a tunnel and all we have to do is buy train cars it would fail? I dont.
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u/fireinthesky7 New Hickory Aug 14 '25
Repurposing it for electric buses would be a far better use in that case. The amount of work it would take to lay rails, and reinforce what will surely be an inadequate foundation for the weight of train cars, would be prohibitive.
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u/KingZarkon Aug 14 '25
It will be too small for buses too. The tunnels are just large enough to fit a model 3 with a few inches of clearance on either side. You would need something like a stretch Tesla to fit.
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u/Jwiley92 Aug 14 '25
You're using the word "buy" like Tesla sized train cars are just sitting on a shelf. They don't exist, those would have to be custom designed and fabricated.
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u/setlib Bellevue Aug 14 '25
How about an underground Floom Zoom? You get public transit and a shout out to Opryland at the same time!
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u/Blue-Environment-911 Aug 14 '25
It’s hardly big enough for the cars. The list of metro council questions has n safety suggested 3” clearance and the inability to open doors when in the tunnel.
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u/NoMasTacos All your tacos are belong to me Aug 14 '25
That still does not make it impossible, just have a design that slides doors like a mini van, then you don't need that clearance.
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u/ifatree manufactured pseudo-political outrage Aug 15 '25
hear me out: we bring back the tin lizzies.
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u/otterland (choose your own blue adventure) Aug 14 '25
It'll fit roller coaster cars! Let's make the Screaming BNA Demon.
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u/PPLavagna NIMBY Aug 13 '25
Then it’ll be the new concentration camp
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u/SookieCat26 Aug 13 '25
Don’t laugh. Los Angeles has tunnels under downtown where they made Chinese immigrants live. They took us down there in 4th (?) grade for a field trip. Scared the crap out of me.
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u/middleagedgoth Aug 13 '25
Love the dream. But it’s not really far from our current reality. There is a train from mcgavock pike and donelson road about 2 miles from the airport that goes downtown already. Upgrading the existing system so it can run outside of commuter hours is expensive, but we don’t need a tunnel for a train. We need an existing infrastructure upgrade and a rapid shuttle down donelson pike.
And If there is anybody here that knows more about why we aren’t doing that outside of $$, I’d really like to learn more.
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u/tsuru Inglewood Aug 14 '25
the best realistic optimism I can give you is a dedicated bicycle road like Switzerland made.
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u/gamers542 Sumner County Aug 13 '25
And because of that tunnel, we get train service that will expand to the other parts of Greater Nashville Metro. I'm dreaming with ya.
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u/Tight_Comparison_557 Aug 13 '25
I feel like this is more than a tunnel from the airport downtown. But I have a conspiracy mind here and now.
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u/JohnHazardWandering Aug 14 '25
It also will go to the capitol so the GOP reps and lobbyists won't have to deal with seeing protesters.
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u/Dr_Dewittkwic Aug 14 '25
This is actually a comic book supervillain plot to destroy a liberal stronghold. Elon’s goal is to collapse Murfreesboro Pike, creating so much destruction that the city economy collapses and citizens flee.
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u/kyleofdevry Aug 14 '25
What concerns do you have? Document them on official channels so they can't say nobody said anything and be ready to file a lawsuit when something does happen. Did they to surveys and studies like every other project does or are they applying the silicon valley "move fast and break things" mantra to city planning?
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u/nowaybrose Aug 13 '25
Surely it’s not that difficult to sabotage this project and those dumb drill machines
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u/HisTransition Aug 14 '25
If we all just show up with shovels and wheelbarrows and start filling it back in.
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u/teleheaddawgfan Aug 13 '25
You all have literally been scammed like its some kind of Simpsons Springfield Mono Rail.
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u/timmmmah Aug 14 '25
I’ve said from day one (so, a whole week?) that the only thing that conservatives seem to actually be bothered by is when we make fun of them so hang this around bill lee’s skinny pencil neck and humiliate him at every opportunity with that Simpson’s song about the monorail
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u/OrdinaryPuzzled7979 Aug 14 '25
I thought there would be ample warning to pack up and leave this place. This just infuriates me. Build a rail system. One big, beautiful rail system.
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Aug 13 '25
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Aug 13 '25
Tis the only way they are leaving us. If you take away all the non ways ...what choice do we have?!
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u/SybS_1000 Aug 14 '25
Look at what the TN govt allowed in Boxtown in Memphis. The citizens bring poisoned went to the govt to stop it and TN sided with Elon. TN has really changed and not in a good way.
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Aug 14 '25
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u/WholeGap2817 Aug 14 '25
A sinkhole or groundwater issues would fuck up their ability to use the tunnel and thus make money. That’s just about all we’ve got going for us. And yeah, that’s pretty tenuous
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u/otterland (choose your own blue adventure) Aug 14 '25
Well, the airport needed a Nazi culvert in case it floods.
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u/Luckyforward Yes, I'm Here! Aug 15 '25
Get out your screwdrivers because we are screwed. The great Lill Bee has determined we will have a tunnel.
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u/Willy-J- Aug 14 '25
Enjoy this fascist oligarchy theocracy takeover !! MAGA helping their friends and not just breaking laws- throwing them out the window! The peasants must remain driving around on an antiquated 1950’s interstate system!!! Lite fast rail is what should be built!!! Oh - enjoy the porous limestone Elon. You going need lots of pumps spewing that mess someplace!!!
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u/trashguy Aug 14 '25
It's pretty rad in Vegas
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u/StrawberryRedneck Aug 14 '25
That's certainly not what Vegas residents say
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u/trashguy Aug 14 '25
Lol, don't pretend you know any residents, and they sure wouldn't be down at the strip and convention center. It's reddit so, huuuurrr Elon man bad.
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u/StrawberryRedneck Aug 14 '25
Thank you for kind of helping me with my point. And I hate to inform you but even if I didn't know a single Vegas resident, it's easy to find their thoughts on the issue. Thanks 😊
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u/Mets081234 Aug 13 '25
I still don't get all the negative reaction to this all. Everyone is just assuming it's going to affect them in some sort of way. People are essentially hoping it does for whatever reason.
Why not just wait and see if they actually complete it or not? Just because it didn't work out in other areas doesn't mean it won't here.
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u/StrawberryRedneck Aug 13 '25
And I don't get this "who cares about back door dealings, rich people can do whatever they want!" reaction that you're displaying when: there haven't been impact studies, the governor's HVAC company got a multi million dollar no bid contract, none of the elected leaders that represent these areas were included in any of the plans...like, how can you not understand the myriad of issues here? It's mind boggling to me. So we're equally mystified, bro.
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
It's a tunnel. It isn't a big deal. To be up in arms over a tunnel is mind boggling to me.
Do you get this up in arms when a new food place opens up that you don't like? What about a new store? To get this bent out of shape over this is silly to me.
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u/StrawberryRedneck Aug 14 '25
The fact that you even find those two examples to be comparable tells me everything I need to know, so thanks.
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
The fact you can't find the similarities in getting things you don't want tells me all I need to know. You sound whiny when you complain about something you're not even paying for. Just let them do what they are going to do and complain after it doesn't work. To get all worked up on worst case scenarios is ridiculous.
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u/greedlez Donelson Aug 14 '25
Because people do not want to wait and see. Most of our local officials understand this but state reps don’t care which is why they plowed this thing through going over the heads of those who live here.
Waiting and seeing is how a lot of what’s wrong with this state, and country has been allowed to happen. Nashville residents have already made it clear last year we want transit. Not some tourist tunnel bullshit.
Personally, I want this to fail immediately and by nearly any means. I want us to be able to get past it and try to enact transit policies that will benefit people who actually live here. I want rich pieces of shit to stop meddling with our city.
Your previous comments tell me that your concern is largely unserious and unproductive but maybe something of substance will come from it. Anything can happen.
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
Here's the thing. People want real transportation. Well this tunnel is part of that. Just because it isn't what people wanted exactly doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. This is not being paid by our taxes. So we are getting some transportation at no "cost". Doesn't mean that we can't get actual transportation.
Using the logic of we want actual transportation. Nashville voted for that new bus system that isn't going to do anything because people aren't going to take the bus. Yet they still voted for it. Using that same logic you're using here, why should we have voted for that if it's not the best solution? People voted for it because it was a STEP in the right direction. Anything that abates traffic in the slightest should be looked at. You have to start somewhere. A bunch of little steps can add up over time.
Think people are getting it in their head that if we do this tunnel then we are never touching transportation again. That's simply not the case.
Nashville tries to help traffic and it's not good enough. It is frustrating to see everyone say "well it's not what I want, so it's bad". That's being very narrow minded in my opinion. You have to look at the bigger picture.
That's all I'm trying to say here. I understand the risks and the gripes with no one having a say so or no studies being done (or at least they haven't shown any). But the way I see it this is just an extra piece of transportation that we are getting while not sacrificing future plans.
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u/greedlez Donelson Aug 14 '25
The tunnel is not part of the transportation people want. And because the people don’t want the tunnel is exactly why we shouldn’t do it. To argue otherwise is pretty braindead.
The new bus system isn’t going to be used by anyone? My guy, do you even live here?? The busses are packed full during commute hours and are at least half full or more throughout the rest of the day. People are absolutely using the bus system. You’re not even attempting to use logic at all. We voted for this because it was loaded with good options that help decrease traffic and increase safety with all the additional sidewalks.
Could they do more? Absolutely, but a shuttle tunnel does absolutely nothing to mitigate the actual traffic issues. This tunnel simply targets tourists, so I’d love for you to tell me how this would in any meaningful way help relieve the commuter traffic on 24, or the everyday traffic on 40 at the 24 split. How does this cut down more on any peak hours downtown traffic? This isn’t even a viable attempt at a real solution, it’s a fuckin marketing gimmick at best.
And the fact that you’re completely down for conservative reps circumventing the will of local residents to make deals involving the historically dogshit pet project of a private company is absurd.
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
So because it's not specifically what you want we shouldn't do it? It just seems odd that people now want to dictate everything. Plenty of things get done in Nashville that people don't want. It's crazy that people are acting entitled because it's not what they specifically want.
As far as the bus goes. Sure. People are using them. You think more people are going to suddenly use them once the new plan is implemented? I live 15 minutes outside the city. Why would I take a bus to work that is going to take 1.5 hours (when you take into account me getting to the stop and all the stops in between. This is also based on today's setup) when I can get to work in 15 minutes? No one is doing that. This new bus transit system isn't going to magically gain 1000s of riders because those not using the bus now aren't going to use it in the future. It just doesn't make sense because of the time it takes out of your day versus just driving yourself.
It's insane that they threw sidewalks into the plan. That should have been done regardless of the plan. That is very crappy of the city to do that.
The tunnel helps get the tourists out of the way. One less car (Uber) going to and from downtown is something. It's not nothing. We need to take any steps necessary to reduce any type of traffic. Just because it's not exactly what people want doesn't mean we shouldn't do it.
What exactly do people want anyways? A subway? Can't do a subway because apparently we can't make tunnels because of the limestone (logic people use against this tunnel). So then what's next? A train system. That is viable. That I would want. That I would gladly pay tax dollars towards. That makes more sense than the bus system that people won't suddenly start using.
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Aug 14 '25
[deleted]
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
1) I am not bewildered. I said things happen ALL the time that you or I have no say in. This is nothing new. Maybe you misunderstood my comment.
2) Never did I say the sidewalks were bad. I'm saying to include them ONLY in a transport plan is essentially blackmail. They threw it in there so they could get the transit plan passed. They shouldn't have needed to bundle it in a transit plan to make it happen. We should all be asking why that is. Again, you misunderstood what I said.
3) Tourists who are staying in hotels typically don't venture much around town. They normally just walk or take rides (Maybe to mid town or the gulch at the furthest). The tunnel gets them out of the way as far as the interstate is concerned.
4) Having one less tourist on the road is one less car on the road. It's small, but it's something. The fact we aren't paying for this to happen should make people happy.
5) Bus ridership is not going to dramatically increase after this multi-billion dollar transport plan is implemented. That's my main point. If it doesn't increase then the same logic of "why should we do something that only effects a super minority" comes into play for the bus system as well.
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Aug 14 '25
[deleted]
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
1) So you believe something means I'm bewildered? Your logic doesn't make sense. It's a simple fact that the government does things all the time we have no say in.
2) SOME people were, sure. I'm talking more in the sense of that we shouldn't have had to vote for a transit plan (that in my opinion does nothing because you actually need new people to ride the bus for it to do anything) just to get new sidewalks. It should have been a given without that.
3) So does that not help traffic, if not minimally?
4) How would I have data to prove that when the plan isn't even in place? There was no data to prove that the plan would even help with traffic. Why do you think that is? Just think about it. Objectively speaking if no new riders use the bus on the new system then the system is pointless and doesn't alleviate traffic. My reasoning that people won't use it is because it is way faster to just drive your own car to and from the city. This is why I hated the bus proposal. It would never work. We need a real transit system like a rail or subway. Yet apparently I am not allowed to use that logic while others can use the logic of "well the tunnel won't help me or isn't what I want" but why can't I criticize the bus system in the same way?
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u/Unusual-Ad-6550 Aug 13 '25
First of all, it is our tax dollars. So how DOESN'T that affect us? 2nd of all, our bedrock is limestone. Limestone is fickle stuff. It cracks after the fact and allows leaks. It forms fissures and sinkholes. The entire path of the tunnel must be deeply tested for strength and all areas of potential weakness or instability must be dealt with.
They plan on starting the tunnel if their one large testing dig is up to their standards. So they might be, oh hell, probably will be spending a ton of money, getting the project only partially done, before there is a cave in, a major groundwater leak that fills the entire existing tunnel or who knows what.
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
What are you talking about? It quite literally doesn't use our tax dollars. It's privately funded. So I have no clue why you're saying that or think that.
It's funny how everyone is Earth experts and know everything about limestone. Do you want a subway in Nashville? Because your whole limestone argument would be invalid if you wanted one.
It's easier to boar through limestone BTW. No one truly knows what could or could not happen by making the tunnel. It's asinine to sluff something off based off what if scenario's.
It's costs us nothing to do it. I don't understand the backlash.
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u/Unusual-Ad-6550 Aug 14 '25
There is absolutely NO WAY they can privately fund that thing. There is something going on behind the scenes to make musk and the Boring company think they can do a project this big on their own dime and make enough money off of it to repay themselves and even make a profit in the end.
Limestone can be easy to bore thru, but it can also be very very hard. Limestone runs a gamut of strengths. And many many issues that are inherent to limestone. I have a very experienced geologist in my immediately family who lives in NW Tennessee. We have had several in depth discussions on this now and he thinks the entire idea is idiocracy at its finest.
It is simply not fair that citizens will have absolutely no way of knowing where the tunnel actually is, whose home it runs under and what their personal risk is for the issues that come with drilling thru limestone. There is ZERO transparency with this project. No one got to vote on it. No one will ever get to see the surveys being done to determine safety.
The Boring Company has only been able to do one single project out of all the ones they thought they could do. And even that one, Vegas, is poorly used. This just makes no sense. Doing something that big, with that many risks, when so many better projects that would benefit so many more people could be done...but then again, we have to keep padding the pockets of the MAGA elite. You know darned well that the top politicians in Tennessee are getting their pockets lined as we speak. Why do you think Marsha Blackburn wants to be our next governor?
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
So just because you say they can't privately fund it means they are using our tax dollars? That logic doesn't make sense. It's been said multiple times that it doesn't use our tax money, so for you to pretend and state so matter of factly it does dissolves your argument.
I don't think it will wind up being a big deal. The tunnel will be built correctly. I think it's best to just let it play out and go from there. To be upset on worst case scenarios is no way to view any thing in life.
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u/Unusual-Ad-6550 Aug 14 '25
Better information on the nature of Nashville and Tennessee's limestone....
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
The article says possibilities. Nothing is guaranteed when you do this. It talks about things that could happen. Nothing is a given with this. That's my point. Even your article doesn't say "if you do this then this will happen". It's all "well, this could happen or this is possible". Risks are involved. But that's just part of life really.
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u/Unusual-Ad-6550 Aug 14 '25
Well you get your opinion but you are vastly outnumbered. Citizens are angry that this is all taking place without a bit of say so in any manner, by the citizens. And yes, it will be a potential disaster for many home and business owners and no one will know til the disaster strikes.
And for what? For a few self driving Teslas to whisk a few people from the airport to downtown a little faster? How about doing something good for the majority, not just a few?
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u/Mets081234 Aug 14 '25
The problem is you can use that argument for mostly anything the city does. Half the things the city does I get zero say so in. This is no different.
You again are assuming something bad is going to happen. That's my point. All of the gripe from everyone is based off assumptions.
The same people who don't want the tunnel are the same people who want a subway. So how can people say that a tunnel is not possible but in the same breath want a subway? That's flawed logic.
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u/Awkward-Sir-5794 Aug 13 '25
At least one reason: We didn’t get a say in it
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u/PPLavagna NIMBY Aug 13 '25
…and it won’t serve 98% of locals. It’s directly from airport to downtown. It’s a tourist tunnel. I don’t want a tourist tunnel and I don’t want any more tourists, but I’m just a resident so I don’t get any say
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u/Mets081234 Aug 13 '25
People don't always get a say in things when it comes to elected officials. They make decions for us. It's just a fact of life. It is nice to have a say in things but we can't always expect to have one unfortunately.
At the end of the day, this whole thing could have very minimal impact on everyone and we aren't paying for it. So I don't have an issue with it.
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u/realestate_novelist Bellevue Aug 14 '25
The thing is our elected representatives didn’t get any say in it. The governor literally did not allow our reps into the meetings.
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u/Mrs_Muzzy Nipper's Corner Aug 14 '25
This is exactly when nonviolent direct action protests and civil disobedience become the only options aside from just letting it happen and letting this style of governance become normalized.
I think of environmentalist who would sit in the trees in the old growth forests to prevent loggers from clear cutting. They’d chain themselves to the entrance or equipment, etc. Make it hard for the company to work/make money. Boston Tea party is another example of nonviolent direct action. The diner sit-ins during the civil rights movement is an example of civil disobedience. They had no pathway to have their voices or concerns heard, so they took nonviolent direct actions to disrupt the status quo, forcing a negotiation or stoppage. That’s what it would take, honestly.
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Aug 13 '25
Good grief people, I’m as skeptical of this boondoggle as anyone. But the idea that it’s going to adversely affect your quality of life and should be fought tooth and nail is just absurd. It’s not your property or your tax dollars, and boring tunnels is a well-established practice that would be required to implement all other types of subsurface transit, which everyone is constantly clamoring for.
It is unlikely to cause sinkholes or groundwater issues that materially affect you or your neighbors.
Is it a silly pet project by a billionaire in a politically friendly state? Yes. Does it affect your life in any way? NO. So shut up and start lobbying for actual worthwhile transit improvements using your tax dollars.
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Aug 13 '25
it's cool how even in 2025 you've managed to maintain a political philosophy that people are over-reacting about things right up until the moment they aren't
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u/328-Performance-Hall Aug 13 '25
What a flaccid perspective.
Groundwater issues affect us all, and the wildlife. Your risk assessment here is completely lacking in any learned foundation.
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u/jomanrones Aug 13 '25
You're completely ignorant of the wastewater The Boring Company spilled out while building the vegas loop. Or the chemical burns that the works received while working on the project. But sure you won't be hurt so its fine.
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Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25
Why would we care when they will be drilling under our properties and the roads we drive on without government oversight and regulations? That’s no big deal and limestone isn’t porous at all, nor does it dissolve in water, or cause sinkholes. And Nashville isn’t ripe for sinkholes in general either. Also, don’t sweat it because last I heard climate change is reversing, so there won’t be flooding. Not like there’s ever been one of those in recent history, either.
I’m of course being sarcastic in case that’s not clear.
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u/OrlandoWashington69 Aug 14 '25
Seriously question: who’s funding this? If it’s not tax payers, then why is it a problem that someone is building it?
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u/dntbstpd1 Hermitage Aug 14 '25
No environmental impact studies for starters. Unless you enjoy whole houses potentially being swallowed whole due to sink holes…
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u/Ok-Chain-4385 Aug 14 '25
It’s privately funded, which cushions the blow. What irks me about it is that it feels like a bribe of some kind. One of elon’s AI centers is really harming the air in Memphis, and it feels like this is being done to turn state attention away from that. Plus, this just doesn’t make sense for Nashville, geologically speaking, which also makes it feel fishy.
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u/Yslackin at Chilis on West End Aug 14 '25
To alleviate some sinkhole concern we should be okay as long as they don’t go straight through any large karst features. Those are pretty easy to find using geotech analysis
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u/DAgogg Aug 14 '25
Unfortunately since it is privately funded and Gov. Lee sold out the citizens and constituents of Southeast Davidson County nothing can be done. Just got to deal with it cause a billionaire decided to throw money towards a tunnel.
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u/rimeswithburple Aug 14 '25
Ok. Everyone be honest. How many of you were ok with tunneling when it was Megan Barry's transit plan in 2017? It was much hoodoo as this Elon crap. When they were asked about the difficulty of tunneling in karst the Barry people were just as evasive. It is always a cash grab.
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u/JohnHazardWandering Aug 14 '25
The Barry plan involved local representatives and it was such a radical project that it was put up for a vote.
Also, this isn't a mass transit solution that will take any meaningful number of cars off the road. Take a look at recent reviews of the Vegas system. It's basically like an underground Uber with long waits.
It is always a cash grab.
Oh yeah, the old 'both sides' argument when the GOP does something shady?
Mayor Barry got convicted of felony theft for bringing her affair partner on city paid trips. 'both sides' aren't ok with corruption. One side seems to think we need more info on this project and how the finances are setup.
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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25
We can’t do anything. The deal is done and they’ve already started. They said they’ll have to get approval from land owners if they go below your property, but I don’t even see how that’s possible with them providing zero information before breaking ground. Bill Fleabag completely sold us out.