Tenerife Plans €91 Million Tunnel to Ease Garachico Traffic and Coastal Vulnerability

Transport on the northwest coast of Tenerife is set for a major change following the Canary Islands Government’s plan to overhaul mobility in Garachico. Officials have announced plans to build a tunnel through the protected La Culata cliffs to divert traffic away from the existing TF-42 road.

This decision follows feasibility studies that ruled out other options, such as burying the current road, due to technical challenges. The new route will run from the exit of the Agujeros tunnel, near San Roque square, to the Las Cruces area. The project, estimated to cost around 91 million euros, aims to solve two long-standing issues: chronic traffic congestion in Garachico, Los Silos, and Buenavista del Norte, and the coastal road’s vulnerability to high waves, which often force authorities to close it.

Francis González, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, stated that the next steps involve drafting the project and securing funding. Both the regional government and Garachico’s City Council, led by Mayor Heriberto González, agree that the best way to fund the project is through the existing road agreement between the Spanish State and the Canary Islands.

The project is expected to take four to five years to complete once environmental studies and permits are finalized. Local officials view the tunnel as a vital piece of regional planning. It is designed not only to relieve daily traffic—which peaks during the summer and stormy weather—but also to provide a reliable transport route that can withstand the region's changing climate and growing traffic demands.