Tenerife Opens Bidding for Santa Cruz Bus Lane Link

Traffic jams at the entrances to Santa Cruz de Tenerife are a constant headache for drivers on the island. To tackle this, the Island Council (Cabildo) has launched a new plan. They've started the bidding process for a major project: connecting Phase V of the TF-5 bus lane directly to the capital's main bus station.

This initiative, costing over 322,000 euros, aims to ease rush-hour congestion and make public transport run more smoothly. Island President Rosa Dávila announced the plan after a recent Governing Council meeting.

It's part of the Cabildo's wider strategy to encourage more people to use public transport. This includes updating bus fleets, increasing capacity, and improving the infrastructure for both the metro and bus networks. The island's Mobility Councillor, Eulalia García, pointed out that more than 1,700 bus services use this busy stretch every day, coming from both the north and south of the island. This highlights how crucial this new connection is for giving buses priority in a high-traffic zone.

The project itself is technically complex because of the heavy traffic in the area. It involves designing an underpass that will link the existing bus lane with the Santa Cruz station. This underground route will bypass the intersection with Áurea Díaz Flores street, which is near the Meridiano Shopping Center. Engineers will need to explore several technical options, such as whether to allow two buses to pass simultaneously in emergencies, or even create a two-way lane, depending on available space and feasibility. They will also look at how this underpass could help re-route some private car traffic in the area.

Companies interested in bidding for this project have until March 26 to submit their proposals. Once a bid is chosen, the detailed project design must be completed within fifteen months. Thirteen of these months will be for the technical work, and two for the final delivery. The selection will mainly focus on the technical quality of the proposals and the experience of the design team. A special condition is that at least 40% of the staff working on the contract must be on permanent employment.

In other news, the island's Governing Council has also confirmed a two-million-euro grant for the 'Plan de Medianías,' which focuses on the island's mid-altitude areas. This program is designed to restore natural ecosystems and prevent forest fires, especially in areas where towns meet forests and close to populated centers.

President Dávila welcomed this funding, which is partly supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). She sees it as European backing for Tenerife's efforts to get ahead of fire risks and protect both its natural environment and the people living in these mid-altitude regions.

The grant comes from the state Biodiversity Foundation, awarded through a competitive process as part of its Bioeconomy promotion programs. The Cabildo will contribute an additional 300,000 euros, making up 15% of the total cost. The project must be finished by October 2027 and has three main goals: protecting communities, improving natural and agricultural biodiversity, and bringing abandoned land back into use. These tasks will be carried out by the joint company Gesplan.