The mayor of La Laguna and the employers’ association of the construction of Tenerife ask to start “as soon as possible” the works of the variant of the TF-5



The mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutierrezhas held a working meeting with the president of the Provincial Federation of Construction Entities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Fepeco), Óscar Izquierdo, and some twenty businessmen from the construction sector on the island, in which they have claimed “the need to Start as soon as possible plays of the variant of the TF-5, a road that will run underground for the most part and that will allow to decongest the traffic in the main access to La Laguna”, in the words of the municipal councilor.

The mayor’s position contrasts with the position of the City Council itself, which approved a motion in plenary session in November to urge the Government of the Canary Islands to stop the project and opt for other measures to decongest traffic, such as the Bus-HOV lanes. The motion was supported by Unidas Se Puede and CC, with the abstention of PP and Cs and the vote against PSOE and Avante.

Both Luis Yeray Gutiérrez and Óscar Izquierdo have insisted this Wednesday that the variant of the TF-5 “is a fundamental work for La Laguna and for the entire island. It is not the definitive solution, but it is a very important factor in helping to solve the problem of queues on the TF-5, as well as implying the closure of the island ring in the metropolitan area”.

The mayor of La Laguna believes that this infrastructure “will help to solve to a large extent the mobility problems in the municipality, together with other actions such as the creation of the Bus-VAO”.

The mayor thanked the support shown by the construction sector and recalled that since the beginning of his term, in 2019, he has defended the burying of the TF-5 as it passes through La Laguna, which will allow “fulfilling the old dream to reunify the city, currently crossed by the motorway”. But for this, he recalled, “the construction of the Bypass is essential, which in no case should be confused with the External Road.”

The mayor assured that the Bypass will also have a route that will go underground for the most part, and that “I know that intense work has been done to respond to all the allegations presented by the neighbors.” For this reason, he regretted that “at the last moment, due to electoral interests, this project, so decisive for the municipality, was attempted to be boycotted by certain political groups that had previously supported it.”

Óscar Izquierdo thanked “the courage of the mayor of La Laguna, who has been decisively involved in this issue, even on occasions alone, because he knows that this option is the best for the city, since in the long run it will unify the entire urban fabric, currently crossed by a continuously collapsed highway”.

“From Fepeco we ask above all for unity from the political forces,” said the president, “that ideological and partisan interests be put aside and that the island of Tenerife and the city of La Laguna be put above all else.” He also insisted that “the businessmen and women in the sector in Tenerife are in a technical, professional and human position to undertake a work of these characteristics”

Óscar Izquierdo expressed that “one of the key points to begin to decongest the island is the metropolitan area, and this work is the beginning, the structural base that will allow Tenerife to form a road network (along with the closure of the ring) fluid, safe, fast and sustainable.

On the other hand, the mayor recalled that the variant “is not the only major road project in La Laguna. We need to continue promoting the growth of the municipality, which is not at odds with sustainability, so as not to remain anchored in the 20th century”. Among these new infrastructures, he pointed out the tunnel that will cross Mesa Mota and that will allow all the traffic coming from the Northeast Region to be channeled, avoiding the current traffic jam in Las Canteras. “Without these works, it is impossible to grow,” concluded Luis Yeray Gutiérrez.

Will the traffic jams be solved with this work?

Although the mayor defends that the traffic jams will be solved with the variant of the TF-5, months ago the Councilor for Territory Planning and director of the La Laguna Urban Planning Management, santiago perez, I doubted it: “The variant of the TF-5 is not going to solve the serious problems of island mobility, which is not the responsibility of the City Council to order or deal with. The current collapse of roads has been predicted for more than 20 years and its solutions will have to be long-term and will not be resolved by resorting to the formula of more roads”, he affirmed.



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