The Canary Islands Government continues with the TF-5 variant project, which is considered essential, together with the third rail project between the North airport and La Orotava for the Bus-VAO route, to solve the important traffic jams that they suffer every day citizens on the TF-5.
This was stated by the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Canarian Government, Sebastián Franquis, who expressed his surprise that “this debate is taking place now”, on whether the variant is the most appropriate solution, “because this matter began for some time now, and the project was commissioned under the consensus of the three institutions, both the City Council, the Cabildo and the Government, and because it was an aspiration of the Consistory itself”, he argued.
Franquis thus responds to agreement approved by the plenary session of La Lagunalast Wednesday, to urge the institutions to stop the variant project and bet, instead, on the Bus-HOV lanes, included in an amendment presented by Unidas se puede, a partner of the local government group, and that it went ahead thanks to the support of CC, voting against the PSOE and Avante, the other government partners.
The counselor explained that he has had a conversation with the mayor of La Laguna to find out what happened in the Plenary “and we express the will, both on the part of the City Council, as well as the Ministry and the Cabildo, to continue with the project. And we keep going.”
Franquis affirmed that the variant project and the third rail project for the Bus-HOV are two “very important” works to solve the traffic jams on the TF-5 and that both “practically walk in parallel” in terms of administrative procedures.
Specifically, he explained that both initiatives are currently in “the phase of finishing the draft of the environmental impact statement to proceed to send them to the Ministry of the Environment to make the corresponding environmental reports”, which means the final part of the administrative process.
“All projects, how could it be otherwise, have to have these environmental studies and that the land is affected as little as possible, that is why it is essential that this environmental study process be carried out thoroughly so that we all have the guarantee that the legality is complied with”, defended the counselor.
He also highlighted the “full transparency” when publicizing the work that has been carried out, having been on public display, and “we have given all the information that has been requested of us.” In addition, regarding the variant, he added that the Ministry kept a technical office open for consultations in La Laguna, while the process of public exhibition of the project lasted.
Sebastián Franquis recalled that the budget for the third rail in the TF-5 is 218 million euros and that of the variant, 360 million. “We calculate that we could be bidding these projects over the next year, the sooner the better,” he said.
