Six months have passed since the Sappers Battalion of the 16th Canary Islands Brigade and the 81st Logistics Support Group, with the authorization of the Ministry of Defense, built a temporary bridge in San Andrés in order not to leave the residents of the Anaga Massif incommunicado after learning, through a technical report requested by the City Council of the capital, that the historic crossing of this fishing village, built in 1935, was in an emergency situation due to its bad condition.
This bridge, which gave life to Anaga for eight months, began to be removed from early in the morning yesterday, and despite the fact that it was raining in the capital, by the same soldiers who installed it, 26 to be exact, as indicated to DIARIO DE AVISOS the person in charge of these tasks, Captain José María Molero.
In this sense, he assured that he was “very happy to have been able to help the population. This is always our priority and, since we were notified, we went out to help. It is very gratifying ”.
The work is scheduled to conclude tomorrow and should not present any type of complication, “as it is always easier to disassemble than to assemble, unless we find a piece that has been deformed when the bridge settles and has to be cut,” said the captain. Molero.
The bridge has been, without a doubt, during the time that the other has been repairing and preparing, a salvation for the residents of the Macizo de Anaga. And, if they had not had a temporary pass, the only way they had to reach their population centers would have been through the La Laguna road, which is not comfortable and has a journey of an hour and a half of duration.
Neighbors have received the news with joy, as this means that the historic San Andrés bridge is finally finished.
At the top, cars and pedestrians circulate since the end of November, but we will have to wait until Thursday of next week, according to the Infrastructure Councilor of the Santa Cruz City Council, Dámaso Arteaga, to be able to do so by the bottom. “It will take a few days to collect and by Thursday of next week, at the latest, it will be completely open to traffic and pedestrians,” he said.
He also commented that there has been “excellent collaboration and coordination between administrations”, referring to the military. “Everything possible has been done so that the residents of Anaga and the businesses in the area that live off tourism were affected as little as possible and we are very happy, because there is a bridge for a while. We have managed to extend its useful life and, most importantly, keep everyone safe, “he explained.
Arteaga asked for caution and respect for the signs on the part of the drivers who circulate in the area these days, “because there will be many who do not know that you can no longer go through the military bridge”, and announced that during the next year, the area of Infrastructure of the Consistory will work to build another bridge where until now was the military to give respite to the one who has been raised for 86 years. “It is about giving another alternative to the neighbors,” said the mayor.
