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Musk projects expand, continue to shape growth in Bastrop County
BASTROP — Elon Musk’s Bastrop-based Boring Co. is expanding its underground transit footprint with a newly announced 10-mile tunnel project in Nashville.
Tennessee officials unveiled plans July 28 for the Music City Loop, a privately funded system that will connect downtown Nashville and its convention center to the city’s airport. The project promises zero-emissions electric vehicle travel in about eight minutes and could be operational by fall 2026 — further entrenching the company’s presence and impact in Bastrop County.
“By leveraging the innovation of private sector companies like The Boring Company, we’re exploring possibilities we couldn’t achieve on our own,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said.
Company officials said the system will operate entirely underground, with no public funding or traffic disruptions. The design follows the Boring Co.’s Loop model already in use in Las Vegas, but yet to break ground in Texas.
If completed, the Nashville tunnel would become Boring Co.’s second and largest operational transit system. The Vegas Loop, the company’s only current operation, opened in 2021 at a cost of $47 million and recently received a 99.57% federal safety rating — the highest awarded to a transit system.
The company’s in-state record has been mixed. A proposed tunnel in San Antonio has seen minimal public updates in three years, and a pedestrian tunnel planned in Kyle was dropped after Union Pacific declined to allow construction beneath its railroad tracks, according to officials.
Locally, Musk’s ventures have fueled rapid expansion and reshaped infrastructure in Bastrop County.
In March, SpaceX — Musk’s rocket company and Boring Co. neighbor in Bastrop — was awarded $17.3 million from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund to expand its semiconductor research. The boost is expected to create more than 400 jobs and generate over $280 million in capital investment, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino previously said Bastrop’s population is projected to grow 42% over the next five years, increasing from about 14,000 to 20,000 residents. The city has already begun expanding water and wastewater capacity to meet that demand, she said.
