El Tanque awaits road repairs: the mayor accuses the Cabildo of inaction.
The El Tanque City Council complains about the ignoring of requests to repair three important roads in Tenerife, while the Cabildo assures cooperation and planning of repair work.
In El Tanque, authorities have been asked for two years to repair three roads: TF-82 (going from Icod to Adeje via El Tanque), TF-421 (from Garachico via Las Cruces), and TF-423 (to Los Silos via Tierra del Trigo).
The mayor of the city, Ester Morales, says that she has already sent seven written requests, but has not received a response from the Cabildo of Tenerife. "The Councilor for Roads, Dámaso Arteaga, also does not respond to my appeals," she adds. According to the mayor, the biggest problems are grass overgrowth on the roadsides, which obstructs the view of the road, the lack of markings (especially on pedestrian crossings), and the poor condition of the asphalt in some areas.
Ester Morales emphasizes that she wants to improve the situation not only in El Tanque, but also in the entire Daute region, because many people who live here and work in other parts of the island use these roads every day. These roads connect the northwest of Tenerife with the south, and are used for commuting to work.
The Councilor for Roads of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Dámaso Arteaga, was surprised by the mayor's statement. He claims that her requests only started arriving in July 2023, when a new team came to power. "If she is now demanding repairs, it is because the previous government, which was in the Cabildo, did nothing with these roads," he added.
According to the mayor of El Tanque, a project is currently being developed to repair the TF-421 road, which passes through a protected area. Because of this, the repair may be delayed, as permits are needed from various bodies, an environmental impact assessment, and then a tender. "It could take two years or even more," she believes. Morales says that she met with Dámaso Arteaga regarding this road, but did not receive a written response.
It is important that TF-421 is the only road that connects the area if something happens on the main road TF-42, which runs along the coast. "If a landslide or other accident occurs between Icod and Garachico, TF-421 will take over all the traffic. Therefore, it needs to be repaired urgently so that people can use it safely," Morales emphasizes.
Dámaso Arteaga assured that Mayor Ester Morales is coordinating the project to improve this road and that the project is almost ready. "She is the one who determined the priorities in this project, and the tender for the works will be announced in 2026," he said. According to Arteaga, the repair of TF-421 is a priority, and money for this is included in the budget for 2025, and for TF-82 - in the budget for 2026.
The mayor of El Tanque also reported that a contract is currently being prepared for the development of a project to repair the TF-82. "The section from El Tanque-Alto Square to the Erjos district will be repaired," she clarified.
Ester Morales says that from July 2023 to September 2025, she sent eight written requests to the Cabildo of Tenerife asking to repair these three roads. The Councilor for Roads assured that the authorities respond to all requests from city halls. "While we are preparing large projects, we solve small problems every day," he concluded.