The Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) in Tenerife has organized a forum to discuss the state of key infrastructure for the island and has had the participation, among others, of the Minister of Public Works of the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez, and the president of the Island Council, Rosa Dávila.
The president of the Tenerife CEOE, Pedro Alfonso, has stressed that the island has more than 5,000 million euros of investment that are “paralyzed”, and that, according to calculations of this organization, they can generate “more than 111,000 jobs”, and, in this way, increase the GDP of the Canary Islands by “more than 12%”.
Not only that, in Pedro Alfonso’s opinion, a social pact is needed to unlock this investment in order to ensure that in a period of “between four and eight years” we can “reach full employment” in the Canary Islands.
Among the “unavoidable” projects for the island, the president of the CEOE of Tenerife has cited technological ones, as well as the closure of the island ring (the road that connects the highways in the north and south of the island), the ring road , he port of Fonsalía and extend the tram route, as well as recover CEPSA land in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to expand the city, among others.
The Minister of Public Works, Pablo Rodríguez, has assured that in terms of roads the challenge in Tenerife is to act “as soon as possible” in the metropolitan area, in the section between the northern airport and La Orotava, on the TF-5.
Rodríguez has insisted that there are “many” projects on the table and that the current moment is crucial because in 2027 the highway agreement with the State ends. Furthermore, he has stressed that these are the four most important years for the execution of the agreement, through which more than 600 million euros will be allocated to improve Tenerife’s road infrastructure.
The counselor stressed that works such as the Erjos tunnel, the closure of the island ring to the west and the Las Chafiras link are being carried out, and the section between Fañabé and Playa de las Américas, on the TF-1, has been awarded.
Fonsalía
The president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, has reiterated that it is “absolutely” necessary to bring together the efforts of all social, economic and political agents to promote projects that are paralyzed on the island.
However, regarding the port of Fonsalía, the island president has highlighted that an “immediate” solution must be sought in the port of Los Cristianos, in Arona, because in Fonsalía there are many environmental problems to create a port facility.
Rosa Dávila has said that in Fonsalía a unique pilot whale sanctuary must be protected, which is why she has asked that an “immediate” solution be found in the port of Los Cristianos.
On October 10, the Minister of Public Works, Pablo Rodríguez, stated that the Government of the Canary Islands does not have among its priorities the construction of the port of Fonsalía, and warned that it is necessary to find a solution to the congestion in Los Cristianos. In 2021, the plenary session of the Canary Islands Parliament also gave final shelve to this project given its environmental cost, in the heart of the whale sanctuary.
