A joint desire was expressed on Wednesday by the La Laguna City Council and the Tenerife Cabildo to promote the TF-5 variant project. This project aims to bury the northern highway as it passes through the urban complex of La Laguna.
Additionally, Rosa Dávila, the president of the Tenerife Cabildo, has revealed plans to create a third lane between Guamasa and the Tenerife North-Ciudad de La Laguna airport, heading downwards. The institution will allocate 55 million euros towards this project along with other connections, as detailed by the council.
Furthermore, a meeting between the technical teams of both administrations will be convened in the coming days to analyse this initiative in the area.
The TF-5 highway in these segments, from Guamasa to La Laguna, is bordered by houses and vegetation, but the fate of these properties remains uncertain.
These stances of the administrations were revealed after a meeting held by both parties on Wednesday. The meeting involved a review of various shared projects concerning housing, roads, water, infrastructure, mobility, and historical heritage, among other aspects.
It was also agreed that certain intersections within the urban fabric of La Laguna, currently under island ownership, can be developed with corresponding sidewalks, lighting, urban fixtures, and subsequently handed over to the City Council under municipal ownership.
Specific roads such as the Mercedes highway, San Miguel de Geneto, San Bartolomé, and the TF-16 would be included in this segment, as highlighted by the council.
The Cabildo and the City Council have also discussed the progress of the Padre Anchieta walkway works, which are anticipated to be operational by the first quarter of 2025. Additionally, there is a need to renovate the Interchange building.
According to the City Council, this renovation would require the temporary relocation of the bus parking area to Ángel Guimerá Avenue for a period exceeding a year.
Furthermore, efforts are being made to renew the urban transport agreement with the incorporation of new buses.
Increased Desalinated Water Supply for La Laguna
Concerning water-related actions, both the City Council and the Tenerife Cabildo have highlighted the necessity to progress with a strategic infrastructure investment plan. In the case of La Laguna, the emphasis would be on enhancing the desalination plant in the northeast region.
Rosa Dávila mentioned the island corporation’s commitment to expediting the timeline for this infrastructure development, which is anticipated to be regionally owned and entail an investment exceeding 35 million euros.
She stated that the implementation process would require a minimum of 28 months. Consequently, the Council intends to set up a series of portable desalination plants on a temporary basis to address emergency situations and provide for the agricultural sector.
In the realm of housing, it was announced by the island leader that the acquisition process for the three Ministry of Defense barracks in the municipality (El Cristo, Ingenieros, and Ofra) will be promoted for future housing construction. A meeting between administrations is scheduled for Thursday.
Other issues addressed during the meeting included the status of replacing homes in the Las Chumberas urbanization, works at Finca Escuder, and collaboration concerning historical heritage preservation and restoration of properties in the historic centre.
The mayor and the insular president have both announced upcoming sectoral and technical meetings to monitor all these matters impacting the municipality of La Laguna.
