Tennessee Governor Bill Lee says the Nashville tunnels will come at “zero cost” to taxpayers, and will instead be “entirely privately funded” by The Boring Company and its partners. Once completed, the “Tesla in tunnels” system will ferry people from the airport to downtown in around eight minutes.

The Tennessee State Building Commission's executive committee approved a lease agreement Thursday with The Boring Company to use a state parking lot to begin its Music City Loop tunnel. The approval vote came over the jeers of a crowd of Nashville residents who oppose the project.

Local, state and federal politicians representing Nashville weighed in following the announcement, and a familiar division emerged.