Traffic jams to tunnel plans: Tennessee looks underground

If you’ve ever sat in traffic trying to get from a meeting in Nashville to the airport — or made the drive between Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis wishing there was a faster option — Tennessee lawmakers are betting the next step in travel might not be on the road at all.

Last week, the Tennessee General Assembly passed House Bill 2450, a measure aimed at accelerating the development of underground transit systems across the state. The goal is to create a more efficient, coordinated path for projects that could move both business travelers and tourists more quickly between key destinations — including efforts like Nashville’s proposed “Music City Loop,” a high-speed connection between downtown and the airport.