The Cabildos chamber of the Parliament of the Canary Islands hosted this Tuesday a session of the Committee on Public Works, Housing, and Mobility in which the socialist deputy for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Marcos Bergaz, once again brought up the "controversial and disputed" LZ-5 highway.
Bergaz questioned the Minister of Public Works, Pablo Rodríguez (CC), about the lack of definition from the regional government and the Lanzarote Council regarding this project, "especially when two years of the legislature have passed and more than 800,000 euros have already been invested in the layout."
The parliamentarian insisted on knowing whether they will finally opt for an outer highway or for the underground passage in the Playa Honda section. "In the drafted project, the underground passage seems to be ruled out, despite the public statements on the island by his political party," he reproached.
Bergaz also demanded that the project include improvements to accessibility in Argana, "a neighborhood with more than 10,000 residents that is still physically divided by the current LZ-20," as well as a solution to the connection problems with the Doctor José Molina Orosa Hospital. He recalled that there is consensus on these issues in Lanzarote and they should be included in the final design.
"I ask about all of this given the lack of specificity from your Government and the Cabildo, despite the fact that more than two years of the legislature have passed without progress on road matters, with a contracting profile that remains blank," the socialist pointed out.
In his speech, Councillor Pablo Rodríguez avoided taking a definitive stance: "We are not going to promote or execute any road infrastructure against the Island Government," he stated.
He added that, before approving the route, they will send it to the Cabildo and the town councils to gather their reports: "Based on this, we will give instructions to the drafting team."
Rodríguez even suggested dividing the project into two phases, distinguishing the work in Playa Honda from the necessary intervention in Argana and the General Hospital. "These are two areas. The most controversial aspects can be separated, such as the Playa Honda bypass or the alternative route, which could be an underground passage," he pointed out.
In his response, Bergaz stated: "Therefore, Minister, the headline could be that twenty-seven months later, the Government's indecision regarding this road project continues."