The acting president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, together with the acting president of the Island Council of Tenerife, Pedro Martín, attended today, Monday June 26, the drilling of the first of the two Erjos tunnels within the works of construction of the motorway between Santiago del Teide and El Tanque, which forms part of the western closure project of the Tenerife Island Ring. The new stretch of highway, which when finished will join the rest of the TF-5, is 11.3 kilometers long and includes the Erjos double tunnel, the longest in the Canary Islands with a total length of 5.1 kilometres. This construction makes it possible to save the Teno massif.
In addition to the regional president and the president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Emilio José Navarro, mayor of Santiago del Teide; José Luis Delgado, General Director of Road Infrastructure of the Government of the Canary Islands; Esther Morales Sánchez, mayoress of El Tanque; Carmen Luz Baso, mayor of Los Silos, and Eva García, mayor of Buenavista.
This road work, the most important in terms of investment of all those that the Government of the Canary Islands has underway, was awarded in 2019 for 241 million euros, although the price updates applied to the works have led to an increase in the initial budget. up to 256 million euros. Of this global budget, 18 million euros are dedicated to environmental actions in the area around the work.
In statements to the media, Torres highlighted the relevance of today’s act “because the two excavations of the Erjos tunnel are joined, which will be the longest in the Canary Islands and will allow the reduction of time by more than half an hour through this island ring” . In his opinion, it represents the culmination of “a job well done in these 4 years, in which, of the 16 projects of the highway agreement for Tenerife, a total of 13 (80%) are already in the bidding phase, in works and with the environmental impact statements”.
More modern measures for complex performance
For Torres, the best proof of this commitment is that, “in the Erjos tunnel, work has been carried out seven days a week and 24 hours a day, for which I would like to acknowledge the workers of this magnificent work. This is the way, it is what must be done: the improvement of the infrastructures has been a priority of my Government and I hope that it will be the new one, so that, in 15 months, this work can be delivered to the people of Tenerife”. In this sense, he remarked that the most modern measures have been used for a complex excavation that has not suffered delays in this mandate.
The president also recalled that the road agreement has gone from 1,300 to 1,600 million euros, that it must be executed until 2027 and that a new agreement is needed, after the great boost given to road infrastructure in the last four years.
The president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Pedro Martín, pointed out that, “during this mandate, the Administration of the island has focused all its efforts, together with the Government of the Canary Islands, on advancing road projects and also on the execution of works” . For the acting island president, this project represents a great milestone for Tenerife, as it allows connecting the north with the south through the Erjos tunnel. “With the opening of the tunnel we achieved unquestionable progress. Within a year or so, the works will be completed and this work, probably one of the most necessary for the Island, will become a reality,” he said.
Pedro Martín showed his predisposition and indicated that “from now on hopefully we will promote, among all of us, the projects for the TF -5 and the TF-1 on which we have been working in recent years.”
The mayor of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Navarro, spoke on behalf of the municipalities and assured that this is an important day for the region of Daute-Isla Baja and Isora, “which will experience a before and after since this can be inaugurated infrastructure, the most important that is executed in Spain not only for the economic part, but social, health and family reconciliation for those who use this route”. Likewise, he highlighted the competitiveness that companies will gain due to the improvement in mobility on the island and the resolution of problems for the tourism sector, both on the TF-5 and on the TF-1, as it is expected that only through Santiago del Teide it goes from about 8,000 vehicles a day to about 30,000, about 22,000 less in the Tf-5“.
Excavated length of 4,855 meters
The President of the Canary Islands, together with the rest of the authorities, technicians, operators and the media, was able to attend the moment in which the heavy machinery mechanically drilled the last two meters of wall that separated the tunnel drilled from the north with which it is drilled from the south, joining both sections that add up to an excavated length of 4,855 meters, for a total length of 5.1 kilometers.
The second tunnel, parallel to this one, is also advancing satisfactorily, already reaching 4,555 meters excavated, that is, 97% of the tunnel, so there would be only 300 meters left that can be completed with the depth of this second tunnel next month of August. Two cut-and-cover tunnels must now be added to both tunnels (140 meters in the south mouth and 100 meters in the north mouth) to add up to the 5.1 kilometers per mouth provided in the project.
To expedite the excavation of both tunnels, drilling has been carried out simultaneously in the four mouths without interruption and in a triple work shift until completion. Drilling is carried out mainly by blasting and, if the terrain makes it necessary, by mechanical means, which allows progress to be made at an average of 15 meters per day.
These works are financed under the Highway Agreement and, after 42 months of execution, the Ministry of Public Works has paid work certifications worth 120,334,038 euros, that is, almost 47% of the budget has already been executed. initial of the whole work.
The infrastructure directly employs 102 workers, including operators and specialized personnel who work in three eight-hour shifts, seven days a week. This work also indirectly employs another 204 workers among suppliers, drivers or restaurant staff who serve the workers.
It is expected that with the doubling of the roadway, the traffic that this new highway between Santiago del Teide and El Tanque will attract in the year of commissioning (2025) will be 17,000 vehicles per day, much higher than initially expected (5,000 v/ d). It is estimated that within more than a decade up to 30,000 vehicles per day will be able to circulate on the new road. The time saved by future drivers who want to go from north to south through this tunnel and the new road will be 20 minutes with flowing traffic.
