Canary Islands Approves €21.5M Ring Road Upgrade for Sustainability, Safety

The Canary Islands Government's Road Infrastructure department recently gave final approval to a change (Amendment 2) for the Insular Ring Road project. This change affects the section between El Tanque and Santiago del Teide and will cost an extra 21.488 million euros, which is 8.9% of the project's current budget.

The main goals of this amendment are to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and upgrade the safety systems in the Erjos tunnel. These changes align with the Canary Islands' Law 6/2022 on Climate Change and Energy Transition.

The El Tanque-Santiago del Teide section is part of the 'western closure,' a project designed to link the island's northern and southern main roads. This new road will connect the TF-1 and TF-5 motorways in the west. It will extend existing sections already finished between Adeje and Santiago del Teide in the south, and between Icod de Los Vinos and El Tanque in the east. Once this section is complete, the entire 'insular ring road' will be finished.

The planned road is a standard design, with one lane for traffic in each direction and a speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour. It will be 11.3 kilometers long, with about half of that distance running through tunnels or covered sections, where the road will be wider.

The most important part of the project is the 5.1-kilometer Erjos tunnel. This tunnel will allow traffic to bypass the Teno Rural Park and the town of Erjos, protecting this environmentally important area. The tunnel exits into the Santiago del Teide Valley, and from there, the road goes around the town before joining the existing Adeje-Santiago del Teide section.

Amendment 2 also brings in several new sustainability features. For example, a 500 kW solar power plant will be built above the covered section of the tunnel's southern entrance. This plant will help power the road's infrastructure during the day when it's operating normally.

Another change involves using sprayed concrete lining in the tunnel instead of traditional formwork. This method better adapts to uneven drilling, uses less concrete, and will prevent about 32,000 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.

Additionally, the tunnel's safety systems have been upgraded with the latest technology for ventilation, lighting, communication, and control.

Specifically, Amendment 2 includes building a solar power plant for the tunnel's own use. This plant will be on a raised platform above the southern entrance of the Erjos tunnel in Santiago del Teide. It will have a peak power of 589.68 kW and will use 936 solar panels, each rated at 630 Wp. These panels will be set up on concrete frames, angled at 18 degrees and facing south. The system will include four 125 kW inverters to change direct current into alternating current, plus a 630 kVA transformer station to boost the voltage to 20 kV, connecting it to the tunnel's main power station.

This setup is expected to provide about 55% of the tunnel's total electricity needs during normal operation, helping to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.