The Minister for Public Works, Housing and Mobility, Pablo Rodríguez, acknowledged yesterday that the section of the island ring closure between El Tanque and Santiago del Teide will not be finished in March, as originally anticipated. “Clearly, in March 2025 the work will certainly not be completed, but it is expected that it will be finished within this legislative term,” he stated during the parliamentary committee in response to a question from Vox.
The minister also informed that the UTE formed by OHL, Excavaciones Bahíllo and Asfaltos Bahíllo, which was not granted the contract and has appealed through contentious-administrative routes, is entitled to compensation for lost profits, funds which will be sourced from the highway agreement resources.
Rodríguez acknowledged the “judicial setback” faced by the regional government – the contract was awarded by a previous administration – but he commended the “effort” to attain legal clarity and assured that the works being undertaken by the current contractor, FCC, El Silbo and Syocsa, would not be impeded. Inarsa, he celebrated, “has made significant progress.” The director revealed that a preliminary agreement has been reached with the UTE to cover the lost profits and the costs incurred in submitting the bid.
Paula Jover sought “clarifications” concerning the “additional expense” of the project, both owing to the new contract award and “extra” costs arising from court decisions. The overall budget for the undertaking, which includes the construction of the Erjos tunnel, the longest in the Canary Islands, totals over 263 million to construct a stretch of just over 11 kilometres.
