The expansion of third lane of the Autopista del Norte, the TF-5, between Guamasa and Los Rodeos is a “vital” work for Tenerife because will alleviate the huge flow of traffic Passing by The lagoon. Everyone agrees on this in the Cabildo, government and opposition. But the consensus also ends there. Last Monday, the president of the institution, Peter Martin, and the Councilor for Highways, Enrique Arriaga announced that the work, whose cost was initially planned at around 8 million euros, had become more expensive to more than 50, which makes it “unaffordable” if other administrations do not intervene in the financing. DC spokesman, Carlos Alonso, accuses Martín “of lying” and remember that “the works were budgeted” with 40 million euros since 2019, the last year of the previous mandate with the Canarian Coalition still in government. Arriaga makes it clear that «this project today only has a little over six million euros; neither one more nor one less”.
Martín and Arriaga made this announcement in the framework of the presentation of the economic budget for the Highways area for 2022. Alonso points out that the action had been planned for three years and that the PSOE and Ciudadanos have paralyzed it. He also points out that “the financing of the work was guaranteed through the Medi-Fdcan.”
«Arriaga said it» .
Remember Alonso that Arriaga said in February 2021 “That the project had financing of 40 million euros, which comes to deny the president of the Cabildo”. Alonso points out that “the lie is as easy to dismantle as going to the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands and seeing the budget documents and dates.” Delve into that in January 2019 the TF-5 expansion project was submitted to public information and there it can be verified that the budget for the work was around 40 million euros. That is what the signed and sealed project collects in November 2018 ».
“The Cabildo has money, but what is not there is political management by the government”
Financing of the MEDI.
Alonso explains that “the financing was guaranteed through the Strategic Framework for Insular Development and the Canary Islands Development Fund (MEDI-FDCAN)”. He underlines that “Enrique Arriaga stated in September 2019 that the work would begin in 2020, something that did not happen.” And in February 2021, he values, “he also announced that they would start that year – which they did not do either – with a budget of 40 million euros and co-financed by the Government of the Canary Islands.” He summarizes: «Arriaga denies Pedro Martín regarding the financing. Just go to the newspaper library and check it out.
Without executing.
In addition, Alonso adds, “there is no need to request the money from the Government of the Canary Islands for the TF-5 because PSOE and Ciudadanos stopped executing 124 million euros in investments last year.” The CC spokesman insists that “the Cabildo has money, but what is not there is political management.” Alonso sums up: “He has been unable to put in a single new project to improve traffic on the TF-5.” And he concludes: «The action of Father Anchieta and the burying of the TF-24 are projects that we left behind, as well as the expansion of the TF-5».
“Repeated lie”.
The Minister of Roads, Enrique Arriaga, reminds Carlos Alonso that “repeating a lie many times does not become the truth.” He details that the agreement for the construction of the Third Lane between Guamasa and Los Rodeos, which was signed between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo de Tenerife almost five years ago -July 5, 2017-, had a consignment of 6,180,000 euros. “There is not a penny more committed for this project,” he adds. Arriaga indicates that “the documents do not deceive, the agreement had assigned a game for the third rail that did not reach seven million.” That assignment, he values, “is placed black on white and the document signed by who at that time was the president of the Cabildo: Carlos Alonso.” The project to date, he says, “has not been approved because it does not have an Environmental Impact Statement.” Approval is up to the Government of the Canary Islands.
“At the end of the drafting of the project, the cost already amounts to 50 million”
Exponential increase.
The counselor insists that at the end of the drafting of the project, in September 2021, the technicians’ report foresees a necessary investment of 50 million euros, an amount very far from the item set forth in the agreement. That amount has been reached with the price update and with the correction of the defects detected in the initial planning, such as the lack of access to the residents of El Portezuelo and Aguagarcía and the impossibility of connecting these nuclei with public transport. And with a pending environmental impact statement. He sums it up in one sentence: “As the writing progressed, with the conditions to be modified, the budget increased.”
Neither the MEDI nor the FDCAN.
“Neither the MEDI nor the FDCAN have amounts that reach 40 million,” explains Arriaga. It is enough, according to him, to look at the document, since the sum of 6,180,000 was divided into annuities: 180,000 in 2016, one million in 2017, two in 2018, one and a half million in 2019 and the same in 2020 “of the that none were started and these reflected amounts were left unexecuted ».
Without stopping work.
“Since my team and I arrived at the Roads area, Arriaga points out, we have not stopped working on this project that we consider vital to reduce the collapse of the TF-5.” The counselor is resounding: “The queues did not start yesterday, as much as Carlos Alonso would like to, I have not put them on.” In any case, he points out that “it is a priority to build that third lane between Guamasa and Los Rodeos; We will continue working so that the works begin as soon as possible. Because we do it with the intention of getting Tenerife up and running, to improve the roads and provide solutions.”
