garachico new tunnel la culata

New tunnel for Garachico to bypass coastal road

New tunnel planned for Garachico

Garachico is to have a new tunnel that will pass through the protected area of the La Culata cliffs and bypass the current seafront avenue, the TF-42, a road of regional interest. The Canary Islands Government will thus resolve the problem of the road being closed several times a year due to rising seas, a route that carries traffic for the Villa y Puerto and the neighbouring municipalities of Los Silos and Buenavista del Norte.

Route and alternatives considered

The route of the variation will run from the exit of the Agujeros tunnel – located before arriving at Plaza de San Roque – to the area around the Las Cruces neighbourhood. The Deputy Ministry of Infrastructure commissioned a study to assess viable solutions to the traffic problems affecting the north-west side of Tenerife. A tunnel was the chosen alternative after ruling out burying the current road.

“The study concludes that passing the road underground is not viable,” explained the Deputy Minister, Francis González (CC), who also stated that two options were considered for the tunnel’s western entrance: one in Las Cruces (the chosen option) and another near El Muelle beach, just before the ‘El emigrante’ sculpture. According to the alternatives study, the project has an estimated cost of around €91 million.

Funding and timeline

The Deputy Minister explained that the next steps are “to commission the project and secure funding.” On the financial side, as with the future Tigaiga tunnel (between Los Realejos and La Guancha), the most logical way to make it a reality is to include it in the Roads agreement with the State, since it is a road of regional interest.

The Mayor of Garachico, Heriberto González (CC), believes that incorporating this work into the new agreement between the Canary Islands Government and the Spanish Government is “the best option. It is the clearest and most secure funding. This is what I have asked for, and I hope that in the coming months a formula will be found to include it,” he maintained.

Once financial coverage is secured, the drafting of the project, environmental studies and authorisations will be commissioned, placing the start of works at a timeframe of four or five years, according to the Garachico mayor. “This is a mammoth undertaking, so it is not planned for the short term, but rather the medium term,” he declared optimistically. “Most of the major sections of the Insular Ring are already completed, committed, or at an advanced stage. That allows infrastructure like the Garachico variation to have a place that perhaps a few years ago was harder to find,” he added.

Solving congestion and sea closures

The new Garachico tunnel will solve two problems: the saturation of the TF-42 road and the passage of vehicles through the interior of the Villa y Puerto town centre when the sea invades the road. Regarding the congestion, the Garachico mayor warned that “it is not a specific problem at weekends. In summer it happens practically every day, and in winter there are tailbacks even without accidents. When a storm at sea is added, the situation becomes even more complicated.”

“I consider the construction of this tunnel essential. Its priority within the whole of the Canary Islands can be debated, but it must already have a place in the planning of road works across the Archipelago,” he concluded.

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