TF-1 Highway: 50 Years of Tenerife's Southern Transformation

The TF-1 highway, located in the south of Tenerife, is a vital road. It stretches 103 kilometers, making it the longest highway in the Canary Islands, and passes through 13 of the Island's 31 municipalities. Around 100,000 vehicles use it every day. This highway is crucial for the region's economy and, along with the TF-5 (the Northern highway), forms the main transport network for Tenerife. These aren't just big roads; they are essential connections.

Fifty years ago, construction began on the Southern highway, connecting Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos. This huge project completely changed Tenerife's present and future, making the south its main area for growth. The TF-1 permanently altered the history of both the South and the entire Island.

Jose Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, the long-serving mayor of Adeje – one of the southern municipalities – witnessed the highway's construction. For many years, he was also one of its strongest supporters, especially because Adeje was far from the main city. Rodríguez Fraga stated, "The TF-1 has helped bring the South closer to the rest of Tenerife, making it feel more connected."

Just as railways were vital for developing the American Wild West, the construction of roads was crucial for southern Tenerife. First, a general road took a century to build, and then the TF-1 highway followed. These roads were key to overcoming the region's long-standing isolation, boosting both farming and tourism in the southern municipalities.

History often shows that good transport links lead to progress. Writer and topographer Rafael Zurita Molina, author of El Sur de Tenerife. Cronografía de un paisaje (The South of Tenerife. Chronography of a Landscape), believes the Southern highway is "the most significant work carried out in Tenerife in recent times." He adds that its construction encouraged the growth of production, wealth, and influence, fixing a clear and unfortunate imbalance that existed before.

Today, Tenerife is working to complete its island ring road, a new route connecting the North and South through Adeje, Santiago del Teide, and Icod, with parts already finished. This makes it a good time to remember the huge impact the TF-1 had on the southern towns and the whole Island. It was a major technical, economic, and social success that transformed Tenerife's landscape and the lives of its residents.

In the early 1970s, as tourism became Tenerife's main industry, officials planned a highway to connect Santa Cruz with the new Tenerife South Airport. This was key to developing the Island's southern region. The four-lane highway (two lanes in each direction) first opened in 1974, running through Santa Cruz (from Anaga Avenue to the Añaza neighborhood). It later extended to Güímar, then to Tenerife South Airport in 1987, and by the 1990s, it reached Arona and Adeje.

The TF-1 was largely responsible for the growth of the Island's southeastern area. By November 2003, with 100,000 vehicles using the road daily, work began to expand the highway to six lanes between Santa Cruz and the Güímar industrial estate. On April 13, 2007, the six lanes opened on the nearly seven-kilometer section between Las Caletillas and Arafo. Today, the TF-1 has four lanes extending to Adeje. However, the rapid growth of this area means further expansion and duplication are needed, alongside the ongoing completion of the island ring road. Looking back, it's clear that 50 years ago, the highway opened up the South, and in doing so, the South became a dominant force on the Island.

Today, southern Tenerife is the Island's economic powerhouse and a major tourist destination in Spain. But just 50 years ago, the region was completely different, marked by isolation, neglect, and poverty. Difficult terrain and a lack of roads led to underdevelopment and emigration. Historian Carmen Rosa Pérez Barrios explains that from the mid-18th century, southerners tried to break free from this long-standing isolation. For example, in 1877, the mayor of Arona asked the Ministry of Public Works to build a road between Güímar and Adeje. This was seen as essential to stop the widespread emigration caused by the collapse of cochineal farming and to boost trade between towns.

By the late 1800s, little had changed; the main road still only reached Fasnia. Beyond that, there were only basic, dusty dirt tracks winding through the hills and mountains. Because of this, until the 1930s, the main way to travel between Santa Cruz and the towns of Abona and Adeje was by sea. The C-822 road, planned in 1858 to link all southern towns, was a challenging project. It was a winding 100-kilometer route with over a thousand curves and a hundred bridges crossing ravines, taking a full century to complete.

Construction of the C-822 began in Santa Cruz in 1864 but didn't reach Granadilla de Abona until the 1930s. It finally connected with Guía de Isora, via Tejina de Guía, in the late 1970s. This road was a significant step, starting to change the region's history. However, the area was truly transformed with the building of the TF-1 highway, 40 years ago. This major link to the capital also paved the way for other key infrastructure, like Reina Sofía Airport and the port of Los Cristianos.

In his book El Sur de Tenerife. Cronografía de un paisaje, Rafael Zurita Molina explains that the Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos highway was added to Spain's Blue Road Network in 1961. Initially, it was planned to take 16 years to build, with the first section (Santa Cruz-Candelaria) completed in the first four years, and the rest (Candelaria-Los Cristianos) over the next twelve. However, after negotiations with the Ministry of Public Works, the Island Council, led by José Miguel Galván Bello, received approval in May 1965 to pre-finance the later stages of the project. This meant the Council would cover the initial costs, with the government repaying them later, and the Council also covering the interest on the loan.

The agreement involved taking out a loan against the approved budget, which was over 1.3 billion pesetas at the start of the project, not including land purchases. Besides the Council and its president, the Provincial Road Department of Santa Cruz de Tenerife played a key role, drawing up the plans under its chief engineer, Juan Amigó de Lara. In September 1966, contracts were awarded for the 72.7-kilometer highway. Dragados y Construcciones won the bid for the first section (Santa Cruz to Candelaria), while Obras y Construcciones Dumez was awarded the rest, starting from Los Cristianos.

Work officially began on March 16, 1967, on the section managed by the Council under the agreement. Thanks to this agreement, the entire highway from Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos was completed in just four years, a significant reduction from the original 16-year plan. The official groundbreaking ceremony took place at the Los Cristianos junction. Speakers included Mariano Nicolás García, the civil governor, and José Miguel Galván Bello, the Council president. Almost all the Island's mayors were among the many officials present.

Rafael Zurita notes that in his speech, Galván Bello pointed out that they weren't laying a foundation stone, as was traditional, but rather clearing stones to allow machines to start work. Galván also stressed that the project was "an undertaking for the entire island and province" that would boost agriculture, industry, and tourism in the South.

The book Los Cristianos 1900-1970. Vida cotidiana y fiestas populares (Los Cristianos 1900-1970. Daily Life and Popular Festivals), published by Llanoazur Ediciones, describes how the Adeje music band played at the event. A banner from the Brotherhood of Farmers and Ranchers of Arona was also displayed, asking for the highway to be named after José Miguel Galván Bello, who was largely responsible for making "this beautiful madness a reality."