The longest tunnel on Tenerife is making progress, and the excavation work for this grand project on the island’s ring road has just been completed.
Not only the longest on Tenerife, but it’s also the longest in the Canary Islands and the third longest in Spain.
The longest tunnel on Tenerife will connect El Tanque and Santiago del Teide, creating an important new link between the north and south of the island. The Erjos Tunnel will not only ease traffic congestion on the busy TF-5 highway but will also significantly improve mobility across the entire island. Completion of the project is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
Two years of delay
The construction of the tunnel has so far cost over 263 million euros. The initial budget was 241.5 million euros, but due to price adjustments last year, an additional 22 million euros was added. The work is being carried out by a temporary consortium of FCC Construcción, Syocsa-Inarsa, and El Silbo, who have so far spent about 62% of the budget. The project currently generates 35 direct jobs and 80 indirect jobs, operating with a continuous schedule of three shifts per day, seven days a week.
The Erjos Tunnel, whose construction began in 2019, proved to be a technically challenging project due to unforeseen geological conditions and soft ground layers that were not anticipated in the original plan. These obstacles led to a delay of over two years. During a visit in 2023, former President Ángel Víctor Torres noted that the tunnel was 80% complete and expected it to be operational in 2025. This, however, was not the case.
19 emergency exits
At 5.1 kilometers in length, the Erjos Tunnel is the longest tunnel in the Canary Islands and the third longest in Spain, after the Manzanares Tunnel on the M-30 in Madrid (5,973 meters) and the Viella Tunnel in Lleida (5,260 meters). It is also Spain’s largest intercity double-tube tunnel, with each tube measuring 5,095 meters, including 4,855 meters of mined tunnel and short sections of false tunnel at the northern and southern entrances. The tunnel has 19 emergency connections spaced every 250 meters for safety, accessible to both pedestrians and vehicles.
An improvement for everyone
Once operational, the Erjos Tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between north and south by about 50%. The drive through the tunnel will take approximately four minutes, with a maximum speed of 80 km/h. This project represents a crucial step for connectivity and sustainable mobility on Tenerife. Thanks to this new link, residents from the north will be able to work in the south without needing to relocate, improving not only mobility but also the economy and quality of life for island residents.
diariodetenerife.info © Photography
Longest Tunnel on Tenerife ©
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