by Rod Williams, Aug. 2, 2025- When I heard of the proposed Airport tunnel loop to be built in Nashville, my reaction was, "Wow, this is great!" A major traffic issue will be solved with cutting-edge technology and engineering, and best of all, the taxpayers won't have to pay for it. Nashville would be only the second such project of this kind in the nation. My view was and remains that we are fortunate.
At the announcement of the project, numerous dignitaries were present. The Convention Center, the Chamber of Commerce, the Airport authority, and State officials were present for the announcement. Missing were the mayor of Nashville and city officials.
It seems to me that the city should have gotten on board with this project and been part of the announcement. I have no way of knowing if the State snubbed the mayor and did not endeavor to include him, or if the mayor boycotted participation in the project. Either way, it seems petty.
The feud between Metro Nashville and the State of Tennessee goes back to when the Republican National Committee was considering Nashville as a location for the 2024 Republican convention, and the Metro Council voted not to pursue hosting the convention. In retaliation, the State attempted to take over the Airport Authority, the Sports Authority, reduce the size of the Metro Council, and take other punitive measures.
Tensions between the State and Metro were further exacerbated when the mayor let his displeasure be known about ICE operations in Nashville and posted the identities of ICE agents on a Metro website. The mayor said the doxxing of ICE agents was by mistake, and he removed the information as soon as it was brought to his attention. The Congress is demanding documents from Mayor O'Connell about his actions following the ICE operation, and he may have to testify before Congress regarding his actions. This conflict between the Metro mayor and ICE has caused tension between the State and Metro. The State of Tennessee has a policy prohibiting sanctuary cities in Tennessee, and Federal officials have claimed Nashville has sanctuary policies.
I have no specific knowledge about the airport tunnel project and have not spent a lot of time searching for information, and there are unanswered questions; however, here are some things I believe about the project and the reaction to the project.
One, it is a shame Metro was not included in the announcement. I don't know if the city was shunned or if the city boycotted participation. Either way, it is petty. One can disagree on one thing and work together on others. It is time to bury the hatchet.
Two, some of the opposition to the project expressed on social media and the lukewarm reception to the project stems from a resistance to private enterprise. Many liberals want to see a constant expansion and enlargement of the public sector and the role of government. By nature, they oppose any problem that they view as a public problem being addressed by the private sector. It is just who they are. They also oppose the introduction of optional toll lanes to address Interstate capacity. If it were up to liberals, we would not have ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. Metro, for years, fought a precursor to these types of services, and initially, they tried to stop Uber and Lyft from operating in the city. Liberals want control and view private solutions as a threat to that control. It is also embarrassing to them when a problem can be solved without further taxing the public.
Third, I am not concerned that Metro Nashville will not be involved in the permitting and planning of the project. The project is taking place on State property. The State of Tennessee is every bit as capable of overseeing large projects as the city. If the project had to be greenlighted by Nashville, it would require years of planning, and there would be delay after delay. The opponents of the project would most likely be able to organize and sabotage the project.
Finally, I think that if Elon Musk's name were not associated with the project, the opposition would be much less. When astronauts were stranded for nine months on the International Space Station, it was a SpaceX operation that brought them safely home. I think some liberals would have let them die rather than let Elon Musk rescue them. Elon Musk is a brilliant entrepreneur and innovator. One does not have to like Elon Musk's politics to welcome a cutting-edge solution to a problem in need of an innovative solution. You may not like Elon Musk, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
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