The Government of the Canary Islands invested millions of Euros between 2010 and 2012 in adapting sections and building five kilometres of a path aimed at providing a safe pilgrimage route to Candelaria next to the Southern Motorway during the celebrations of the Patroness of the Canary Islands. More than a decade later, it is a route not without dangers, filled with cat’s tail weeds and very deteriorated.
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The Pilgrim’s Path is a route that runs parallel to the Southern Motorway, connecting Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the municipality of Candelaria. This path was created to ease the transit of walkers towards the Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria, the most relevant sanctuary in the Canary Archipelago. The project was conceived not only as a religious path but also as a touristic and recreational route.
The history of the path dates back to the need to provide a safe and accessible route for pilgrims who every year head to Candelaria on special dates, especially on the 2nd of February and the 15th of August, days of significant influx due to the festivities in honour of the Virgin of Candelaria. For decades, pilgrims had used the motorway itself, which posed a significant risk. With the creation of the path, the intention was to mitigate this risk by offering a safer and more structured route.
Despite its benefits, the path is not without issues. Shortly after its completion, several deficiencies were identified that still require urgent attention today. Among the most prominent problems that persist are some instability in certain points, pavement deterioration in specific sections, the presence of weeds (cat’s tail extensively), exposed lamppost wires, copper theft, and overall lack of maintenance. These issues not only affect users’ experience but also pose a potential safety risk.
This project, carried out by the Ministry of Public Works of the Government of the Canary Islands between 2010 and 2012, is part of the complementary works for the environmental and landscape recovery of the TF-1 Motorway between Santa Cruz and Arafo. It was the most notable novelty of the project and was the most expensive part (publicly disclosed figures range between five and nine million Euros) of the 15 million Euros budgeted for this phase of constructing the third lane up to the Valle de Güímar Industrial Estate link. In addition to the path, the set of actions included bus stops and accesses that were not initially planned, the reinforcement and improvement of safety barriers, the increase in anti-noise screens, the adaptation of berms and medians, and the cladding of a large part of the motorway walls.
A walker along the Pilgrim’s Path, this week. / ARTURO JIMÉNEZ
This route connects population centres such as Añaza, Costanera, Radazul, Tabaiba, Barranco Hondo and Las Caletillas. Linked to the TF-1 –a regionally significant road–, its maintenance is transferred to the Tenerife Island Council, although ownership belongs to the regional Government.
The operation of the path depends on close collaboration between the Government of Canary Islands, the Council and the municipalities it passes through: Santa Cruz, El Rosario, and Candelaria. Measures have been implemented to improve the infrastructure. Groups and authorities have been calling for years for the population to be informed about the current conditions of the path and the measures being taken for its improvement and maintenance.
Route
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The Pilgrim’s Path begins in the urban area of Ofra and Taco up to La Piconera Street and continues along Nuevo Enlace Moraditas Avenue to the extension of San Patricio Street, in the San Matías neighbourhood. From here, the path descends to the Añaza interchange roundabout, crosses the motorway over the bridge sidewalks and reaches the neighbourhood via the service road. It crosses the town and reaches the Acorán Norte car park. This route runs through Santa Cruz de Tenerife. From here, it continues to the La Campana Industrial Estate link, already in El Rosario, crosses the motorway via the bridge following until reaching the construction located at the Radazul link. From there, to Barranco Hondo along the road parallel to the TF-1 and here begins a one and a half meter wide lane to Las Caletillas (Candelaria). This final stretch of the Pilgrim’s Path is a newly created work and is five kilometres long.
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With very little or no signage, with dangerous narrowings for pedestrians in several points where they share space with vehicles, with elements (screens) held up with sticks, with weeds invading many places of the path, with points where the Path abruptly interrupts, with rain-induced damages causing gradual deterioration, and with lack of maintenance, this project does not record the usage for which it was conceived and built. Moreover, it remains expressly closed precisely on dates that are supposed to have a higher number of users: those of the festivities in honour of the Patroness of the Canary Islands. The first time the Council proceeded to close the Barranco Hondo-Las Caletillas section was in 2013, a year after the construction was completed. The difficulties on the journey often force pilgrims to seek alternative routes, distorting the original purpose of the path.
