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Committee approves bill to create statewide subterranean transportation authority amid Nashville safety and local‑control concerns
Summary
The Transportation and Safety Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 2205, which would create a statewide Subterranean Transportation Infrastructure Coordination Authority to streamline permitting for underground passenger and goods systems. Senators questioned local control, geologic safety, and user costs; sponsor said agencies have reviewed an active tunneling project.
Leader Johnson presented Senate Bill 2205 to establish a Subterranean Transportation Infrastructure Coordination Authority, an 11‑member board he said would provide a uniform permitting and inspection framework for emerging subterranean transit projects statewide. "We have invested over $4,300,000,000 into our highway fund," he told the committee, and said the governor proposed an additional $400,000,000 and recurring line items to support infrastructure work. He said the authority would consolidate state‑level permitting for fully underground portions of projects and would not authorize construction beneath locally owned property without the locality's consent.
Several senators raised concerns about the project already underway near Nashville and whether the new authority would bypass existing oversight. Senator Campbell argued that the project "is already in process without any regulatory oversight" and warned of karst rock and sinkhole risk; Leader Johnson replied that the project "has been reviewed extensively by people who are experts in their field" and that multiple state agencies had been involved. Senator Powers questioned future costs to users, saying "do I think it's gonna cost going forward? I do. I think the boring company will indeed raise prices or start charging something."
Chairlady Massey called the question after discussion; the committee voted and the bill passed and will go to Government Operations. The sponsor emphasized the bill's intent to reduce fragmentation across jurisdictions and to provide consistent safety standards and a process for adjudication of disputes. The committee record shows the vote and a plan to send the bill forward for further action.
