The opening to traffic this Tuesday of the Chafiras link, part of the third lane of the TF-1 on the San Isidro-Las Américas stretch, between the Oroteanda and Las Chafiras links, with an investment of 22 million, will ease congestion on the southern motorway of Tenerife. It will shorten the integration times from the main road to one of the island’s main motorways, “one of the sections with the highest average daily traffic intensity in all of the Canary Islands.”
The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, attended the opening ceremony accompanied by the Minister for Public Works, Housing and Mobility of the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez; the Deputy Minister for Infrastructure, Francisco González; and the Director-General for Road Infrastructure, Rosana Melián.
According to the Canarian Government, the Chafiras link, between the kilometres 62+040 and 64+540 of the TF-1 motorway, is part of a comprehensive project aimed at improving connectivity and solving traffic problems not only in southern Tenerife but also promoting more sustainable mobility. It contributes to the decongestion of the TF-1 and facilitates travel towards Las Américas and other key areas of the island.
This work covers the section between kilometres 62+040 and 64+540 of the TF-1 motorway and the nearby roads TF-65, TF-652, and TF-655, as well as part of the urban roads of the Las Chafiras area.
The new Las Chafiras link features an elevated roundabout over the trunk of the TF-1, accessed via two circular overpasses. This roundabout connects to the TF-65, serving as a transversal road axis (Los Abrigos – San Miguel); the two branches towards Santa Cruz; and the two collector-distributor roads heading south.
The newly designed road system also includes the adaptation of the TF-65, TF-652, and TF-655 roads and the improvement of bus stops, with new pedestrian paths and access for people with reduced mobility. Additionally, it includes four new connection branches to the links, removing existing ones, and improving the links towards Santa Cruz, all within a design that optimises travel in the area.
The project, awarded for nearly 22 million euros to the UTE Ferrovial Agroman-Ten Asfaltos-Excavaciones Óscar del Castillo, was initiated at the new Oroteanda link, which is already in use.
Clavijo has emphasised that “we are faced with a work of great technical complexity that reorganises access, reducing travel times, increasing road safety, and eliminating critical congestion points that have affected both the resident population and the productive and tourist fabric of the southern part of the island.”
For his part, Pablo Rodríguez highlighted that with the activation of the entire link structure, the elevated roundabout configuration concludes, which has until now been used as if it were a bridge with two lanes (one in each direction). “With the full Chafiras link, we resolve the traffic problems that cause saturation, not only at the link itself and the branches that arrive there, but also on the TF-1 motorway.”
