Tunnel to the port of Los Cristianos: a seven-year-old project is back on the table.
The government of the Canary Islands will revise the project for a tunnel to the port of Los Cristianos in order to solve the problem of traffic jams, and also plans to modernize the port infrastructure by 2027.
The underground tunnel that will connect the port of Los Cristianos with the southern TF-1 highway is still part of the Road Agreement signed 7 years ago. This is even mentioned in the appendices to the agreement, the latest of which was signed last Friday by representatives of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Secretary of State for Transport.
This tunnel should help cars enter and exit faster between the port of Los Cristianos and the TF-1 highway. This should solve the problem of traffic jams in the tourist city, which arise due to the large flow of passengers and cargo between Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma.
The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, announced that the issue of the tunnel construction will be submitted to a special commission that deals with the programming, monitoring and control of this Road Agreement.
The Agreement between the Ministry of Development and the Government of the Canary Islands on roads was signed back in 2018. It states that the tunnel is necessary for normal access to the port of Los Cristianos from the TF-1 highway, as it is one of the most important ports in Spain in terms of passenger numbers. The document stated 7 years ago that the current capacity of the roads leading to the port is limited, and this leads to traffic jams that interfere with both port users and local residents and tourists. Therefore, the tunnel should improve the situation.
The minister was also asked about improvements in the port area. He replied that work on strengthening the dam at a cost of 5.3 million euros will begin in the near future. In addition, a tender was announced for the construction project in the land service area with a budget of 168,361 euros.
The President of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Pedro Suárez, admits that the port of Los Cristianos is already operating at its limit. He spoke about plans to eliminate traffic jams that affect the port and its surroundings. In particular, it is planned to dismantle the Marine Station, rebuild it in the parking area, where there will also be a three-story parking lot, a pedestrian bridge to the parking lot and underground direct access to it from Espigón del Benchija Street. This should increase the space for boarding and disembarking passengers and avoid traffic jams. The works are planned to be completed in early 2027.
Minister Puente also announced that the government is ready to consider options for solving the problem of traffic jams in the port of Los Cristianos. Regarding the possibility of building a new port in the south of Tenerife, he explained that the Government of the Canary Islands has not submitted any proposal that would have sufficient support to pass the stage of consultations with administrations regarding the environmental impact assessment. This is due to the fact that the current Government of the Canary Islands and local authorities are against this construction.