The first section of the eleven components that will form the circular pedestrian bridge over the Padre Anchieta roundabout has now reached the Island, with a weight of 50 tonnes, dimensions of 40 meters long and 8 meters wide. Its curved shape required the use of a special transport device and truck for its journey from the port of Santa Cruz, where it arrived yesterday by ship from Seville, to the roundabout in La Laguna. The arrival was expected between 02:00 and 03:00 this morning.
Yesterday, the President of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, described the footbridge as “an emblem for Tenerife, a mobility revolution, an engineering feat unparalleled in Tenerife and the Canary Islands.” She expressed her appreciation for the work of everyone involved, especially the designer of the bridge, engineer José Romo, who will be in Tenerife next week to oversee the installation.
Dávila stated that it is projected that by October, all components will be ready, and the footbridge will be completed by early 2025. She highlighted that it will offer a solution to mobility issues at one of the Island’s most critical points, where 20,000 pedestrians share the space with 50,000 vehicles.
On a different note, the Minister of Highways commended the special transport arrangements and acknowledged the collaboration of the local police in Santa Cruz and La Laguna, the Civil Guard, and the Port Authority for their assistance in the transportation process.
The plan was for the truck to depart from the East dock around 9:30 p.m., travel along the interior road of the port via the Bufadero service road, San Andrés highway, Anaga avenue, Francisco La Roche avenue, coastal road tunnel, maritime avenue, roundabout of the Santa Cruz building. Hacienda, Constitución avenue, Doctor Antonio Perera Reyes street (manoeuvre to change direction of the complex), Constitución avenue, and Tres de Mayo-El Cabo roundabout, before reaching the access to the Ingeniero Juan Amigó de Lara tunnel. Subsequently, it would make its way up the TF-5 to the Padre Anchieta roundabout, where it was expected to arrive between 02:00 and 03:00 today and stay until next week for installation.
“We do not anticipate significant disruptions to traffic; there may be a brief delay at certain points, but nothing major,” mentioned Dámaso Arteaga. He also noted that one or two lanes of the TF-5 would be utilised for the truck’s movement, escorted to the roundabout.
The Minister also highlighted that a critical point was passing through Tres de Mayo Avenue, near the tram line, where they planned to wait until the early hours of the morning. He further explained that they had to undertake tasks such as removing traffic lights, street lights, and pruning trees at various points along the transfer route.
Regarding the future relocation of the sculpture of Father Anchieta, previously situated inside the roundabout and now temporarily placed in the central gardens of the ULL, it was mentioned that restoration work would be conducted. Once the footbridge and the new plaza of the Faculty of Biology are completed, the sculpture will be placed in the plaza.
Meanwhile, from the project’s technical management at OHLA, Emilio Grande, highlighted, “This is a unique transportation challenge for Tenerife,” stating that the footbridge will undoubtedly be one of the most innovative in the country. He revealed that four additional modules have already been manufactured in Seville and production will continue at a rate of one or two per month. In October 2021, the Cabildo awarded the construction of the footbridge to this company for 8.8 million Euros.
