March 17, 2026
A proposal from the developers of the Mountain Mile mixed-use development in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, could ease travel for the Sevier County area, which draws more than 20 million visitors each year.
The proposed underground “Smokies Loop,” on which Johnson Architecture collaborated, has been named one of only 16 finalists out of 487 submissions in The Boring Company’s inaugural Tunnel Vision Challenge. Winning projects will receive a tunnel of up to one mile in length, which is valued at tens of millions of dollars, from the Elon Musk-owned company. The winning proposal is expected to be announced March 23.
The proposed loop would connect from a hub at the Mountain Mile development to top Sevier County attractions, with a broader vision of linking Pigeon Forge with the cities of Gatlinburg and Sevierville. Officials from Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Sevier County and the Sevier County Economic Development Council have signaled support for the proposal.
“Sevier County has always been a place where big ideas become reality,” said Dixon Greenwood, one of the Mountain Mile developers. “We’re proud to represent this region on a national stage, and we’re confident the Smokies Loop is exactly the kind of transformative project The Boring Company was built to deliver.”
Johnson Architecture worked with Mountain Mile developers on conceptual design for the tunnel proposal. The architecture firm previously worked with the developers to transform an obsolete, enclosed shopping mall into Tower Shops at Mountain Mile, an open-air entertainment district of shops, restaurants and attractions. The firm also has worked with several Tower Shops tenants on their retail spaces.
The mission of The Boring Company is to solve urban and regional traffic congestion through a network of underground tunnels created by its safe, fast and low-cost tunneling technology. The company’s flagship project, the Las Vegas Loop, serves the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding resorts and has transported millions of passengers since opening in 2021. Other Boring Company projects underway include the Music City Loop in Nashville.
