Los Cristianos Port Overhaul Planned to Ease Congestion

The port in Los Cristianos, a town in Arona, is struggling to cope with the number of people using it. To tackle the daily traffic jams that affect passengers, locals, and tourists, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority is taking action.

They're putting out a tender (worth almost €170,000) to find someone to create a construction plan. This plan will outline how to improve the port's operations and traffic flow. The plan will be based on an initial idea that includes:

• Demolishing the current maritime station and building a new service building.
• Adding a multi-story car park with around 850 spaces.
• Creating two pedestrian walkways.
• Building a tunnel or underpass for vehicles entering the port.

Los Cristianos is the busiest port in the Canary Islands for passenger traffic, connecting to San Sebastián de La Gomera, La Estaca on El Hierro, and La Palma. It also handles tourist boats and even cruises. According to the tender documents, the port has seen a big increase in activity, routes, passengers, and vehicles, "but its infrastructure hasn't kept up, so it's currently overwhelmed."

The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority wants to find the best ways to use the port's land efficiently. They're commissioning this project to "find the best solution" and detail the necessary actions and construction work. The winning company will have seven months to create the plan.

The Port Authority has provided a "base proposal" to guide the project. They estimate the work will take 15 months and cost around €16 million.

One key element is a multi-story car park with approximately 850 spaces. This is needed to accommodate the nearly 300 vehicles that use the Fred Olsen and Armas ferries on each trip. The Port Authority points out that the ground floor of the car park could also serve as a boarding or maneuvering area, while the rest of the car park would benefit tourists and locals visiting the nearby beaches. The car park will be designed to be easily removed if needed.

The Port Authority also plans to demolish the existing maritime station to create space for maneuvering and boarding. This means a "new service building" will be required. The ground floor will house offices, toilets, and the Civil Guard and Port Police posts, while the upper floor will contain more offices and the Captaincy's offices. This building will be located at the entrance to the port and will also be designed to be easily removed.

The project will also need to address traffic flow, defining the necessary road connections and "possible new access points" to manage different types of traffic. For pedestrians, the plan must include safe and convenient connections between Las Vistas beach, the new car park, and the boarding area. It will also need to define waiting areas and connections between the service building and the loading/unloading area for public and tourist transport, "reducing interference between pedestrian and road traffic."

The Port Authority's base proposal includes building a tunnel or underpass for vehicles entering the port, installing a walkway to the service building, and creating a 300-meter walkway connecting ship passengers to the car park and the beach.

Finally, the project must also reconfigure the port esplanade. The tender documents state that the project will need to analyze different options "to achieve the desired objectives." This analysis will result in "a series of proposed actions" that justify which buildings and structures need to be removed.