The Socialist Group within the Cabildo described as “shameful” the declaration made last Thursday by the Minister of Public Works for the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez, who stated that the segment of the island ring connecting El Tanque to Santiago del Teide will not be completed in March 2025, as anticipated, but rather at the end of the legislature in 2027.
Pedro Martín, the group’s president and general secretary of the socialists, emphasised that this statement highlights “the negligence exhibited by the Cabildo of Tenerife and its subservience to the Government of the Canary Islands, which has not initiated a single new project in Tenerife this year and has just announced a two-year delay for one of the most significant projects.”
“While projects are commencing in La Gomera and Gran Canaria this year, those planned for Tenerife are not being processed, such as the link from Guamasa to the lower part of La Laguna, the development from Las Américas to San Isidro, and the Icod-San Juan de la Rambla section… The level of neglect regarding our roads is so severe that the Government’s highway advisor is now stating that the link between the North and the South, namely the Erjos tunnel, will not be completed by the originally announced date, and there is not even a specific date provided,” Martín stressed.
The former Cabildo president questioned “if the president of the Cabildo will finally confront the Government of the Canary Islands to advocate for Tenerife’s roads.” He recalled that during the last term, “we, the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands, consistently met weekly to advance projects aimed at alleviating traffic congestion on the TF-1 and TF-5. Now, not only is there no one to push these initiatives forward, but there also seems to be a lack of concern regarding the completion of ongoing works.”
The socialist leader’s remarks were in direct response to statements made by Pablo Rodríguez, the regional Minister of Public Works, who admitted on Thursday that the section of the island ring closure from El Tanque to Santiago del Teide would not be finished in March, as initially planned.
“Clearly, in March 2025, the work will likely not be completed, but what is anticipated is that it will be finished within this legislature,” Rodríguez stated during a parliamentary committee session when queried by Vox.
The minister also informed that the UTE, comprising OHL, Excavaciones Bahíllo, and Asfaltos Bahíllo, which was not awarded the contract and subsequently appealed through contentious-administrative proceedings, is entitled to compensation for lost profits, which will be sourced from the highway agreement funds.
Rodríguez acknowledged the “judicial setback” faced by the Government – the contract was granted by the preceding Executive – but simultaneously appreciated the “effort” made to secure legal certainty and ensure that the tasks conducted by the current contractor, FCC, El Silbo, and Syocsa-Inarsa, proceed smoothly.
PRINCIPLE OF AGREEMENT
Furthermore, he disclosed that a preliminary agreement has been reached with the UTE to cover the lost profits and expenses incurred in submitting the bid, something that “is not new” and is mandated by law, despite contractors often having “greater aspirations.”
The overall budget for the project, which encompasses the construction of the Erjos tunnel, the longest in the Canary Islands at over 5 kilometres, exceeds 263 million euros for a stretch of just over 11 kilometres connecting El Tanque with Santiago del Teide.
The Government of the Canary Islands predicts daily usage of over 17,000 vehicles and an estimated reduction of around 20 minutes in travel time.
