Torres highlights the “grey” work of the Government for planning projects to “recover lost time” with the roads of Tenerife
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Dec. 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of the Canary Islands plans to approve the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) of the La Laguna bypass project at the end of the month and tender the work -valued at around 300 million– in the first half of 2023 if there are no delays in the claims process.
This is how the President of the Executive Branch, Ángel Víctor Torres, the President of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro Martín, and the Minister of Public Works, Sebastián Franquis, have advanced this Monday, who have influenced the “commitment” of the Government with the island given that It already has 360.6 million committed in 16 actions, 13 of them already awarded.
Both Torres and Franquis have highlighted the “gray” work of the Executive to design projects because “there was nothing” and when the legislature ends they will leave the Ministry’s ‘library’ complete so that the next Government can continue with the awards.
“We are making up for lost time in Tenerife,” added the president, given that it is the island that consumes the most resources from the road agreement.
Martín has detailed that the three main works to solve the “fuss” of the TF-5 are the La Laguna variant, the Guamasa-La Orotava third lane and the section of the San Juan de la Rambla-Icod island ring road, plus the closure to the west –the El Tanque-Santiago del Teide section–, with the Erjos tunnel already at 70% and completion of the work forecast for March 2025.
With this project, he has pointed out that some 30,000 vehicles will go to the south of the island through that area, which will help to relieve congestion on the TF-5.
ON THE TF-5 ” THERE WERE ONLY DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS”
He has not hidden that the situation of the TF-5 is the “most serious problem” of connectivity on the island and he understands that the La Laguna bypass is “fundamental” to clear traffic, assuming that “it has not been easy” because it has Negotiations had to be made with Aena and the Army and until now “there were only drawings and photographs, but no projects”.
As has happened with the Erjos tunnel, he has commented that they are going to request the Government to include in the specifications that work be carried out in three daily shifts and on public holidays to expedite deadlines.
Thus, it has urged the Government of the Canary Islands not to let its guard down given that the procedures for this project “are long”, since each work that exceeds 100 million euros has an average processing and execution time of between 38 and 44 weeks.
However, he has pointed out that the objective is that “next year the blades will be seen working”.
Torres has valued the negotiation to increase the endowment of the highway agreement until 2027 and 400 million more to add a total of 1,600 million, and has announced that the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, will travel to the Canary Islands the last week of this month to sign the new addendum
It has also guaranteed that another road agreement will have to be signed given that the autonomous community has roads in provision for an amount of about 6,000 million.
Franquis has also recognized the “serious problem” of the roads in Tenerife, giving as an example that no action has been carried out on the TF-5 since 2004 and has insisted on the “planning effort” of the Government to draft projects.
“MARTÍN HAS REASONS TO BE PIGER”, SAYS FRANQUIS
He has stressed that the Government has put “everything” into accelerating the processing of highway projects and that the citizens are right to be “angry”, including the president of the Cabildo, who sometimes calls him on the phone because of the “pressure”. it receives from complaints about traffic queues. “He has reason to be angry,” he has indicated.
Of the rest of the planned works, the counselor has commented that the third lane of the TF-5, valued at another 300 million –includes the BUS-HOV lane–, is finished due to the lack of technical supervision from his department, as well as the section of the Icod-San Juan de la Rambla ring, which costs about 170 million.
It has also indicated that it is expected to approve the execution of the project and work of the Fañabé-Las Américas false tunnel in the coming weeks and the tunnel project that will link La Gorgolana with Mesa Mota, in La Laguna, has also been awarded, a work that will cost around 70 million budget.
Franquis has also sent a message to the population of the island asking for more “consensus” to develop the strategic infrastructures that Tenerife has pending and thus avoid additional delays.
