Tenerife Island Ring Project Faces New Land Acquisition Hurdle
The Tenerife Island Ring project faces a new administrative delay as officials seek to acquire additional rural land to complete the El Tanque to Santiago del Teide section by early 2027.
The completion of the Tenerife Island Ring has hit a new administrative hurdle, highlighting the technical challenges of one of the Canary Islands' most ambitious infrastructure projects. According to the regional Ministry of Public Works, the project now requires an additional 4,581 square meters of rural land to accommodate the second phase of the El Tanque to Santiago del Teide section.
This expansion involves 25 different plots of land—mostly privately owned, with only a small portion belonging to the local municipality and the Island Council. Of the total area needed, 3,320 square meters are in El Tanque, and 1,261 square meters are in Santiago del Teide.
This land requirement follows a project update approved in late 2025, which increased the budget by 21.49 million euros—an 8.9% rise. This adjustment covers essential upgrades to the 11.3-kilometer route, including improved ventilation, lighting, and control systems for the Erjos tunnel. It also introduces new sustainability measures, such as a 589.68-kilowatt solar plant at the tunnel's southern entrance and a redesigned tunnel lining that uses less concrete, which is expected to prevent 32,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
Securing this land quickly is vital to keeping the project on track for completion in the first quarter of 2027. Once finished, the Island Ring will be a major step forward for local transport. By connecting the northern and southern corridors through the west, the project aims to relieve traffic congestion on the TF-5, provide a safer alternative to the outdated TF-82 road, and boost the economy of the island’s western region.