The Cabildo of Lanzarote has recently received the project for the repair of the Los Hervideros road, a "key" document for the first island institution and that "will allow progress in the future reopening of this road", closed since 2021 due to a sinkhole. The project contemplates that the works cost seven million euros.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has assured that the delivery of the project “is a key advance for the island”. “This is a decisive step for the recovery of a fundamental road, not only for the connectivity of the south of Lanzarote, but also for its landscape and tourist value”, he affirmed. In addition, the first island institution has accused the previous government group of delaying its opening due to "the lack of action."
Betancort stressed that the reopening of this road has been a priority “since the beginning of the mandate”, and that they have worked intensely to achieve this progress. “We committed to the residents and all the people of Lanzarote to unblock this situation, and today we can say that we have complied with this first phase. Now we focus on speeding up the necessary procedures so that the works can begin as soon as possible”, he added.
The Minister of Public Works, Jacobo Medina, explained for his part that the public company Tragsa has delivered the project “within the planned deadlines”. “The final document is ready and includes actions not only in the sinkhole that forced the closure of the road, but also in five other critical points that require intervention to guarantee the safety and durability of the road”, he explained.
In addition, Medina stressed that a detailed analysis of the land and the structural state of the road has been carried out, with the aim of avoiding future incidents that force new traffic cuts. “When we came to the government in June 2023, there was nothing written about it. We found a closed road and without a single technical document that would allow its rehabilitation. I committed at the beginning of the mandate to award the drafting of the project for its reopening, and today we can confirm that we have fulfilled another of the objectives set”, Medina stressed.
In this sense, the councilor recalled that a few months ago he informed the residents of the south in a meeting at the Casa Cabildo about the state of the process, making clear the commitment of the Cabildo to the reopening of the road. “Today we can say that we have complied with the first phase: having the project. Now we focus on obtaining permits and bidding to start the works as soon as possible”, he added.
An investment of seven million euros
The project has a budget of seven million euros, an investment necessary not only to repair the sinkhole, but to reinforce five other vulnerable sections detected in the previous study.
It should be noted that the Minister of Public Works has held a meeting this week with the company Tragsa, in charge of the project, to coordinate the next steps in the process. “The execution of the work will now depend on obtaining the necessary sectorial permits. Once that procedure is completed, we will put the project out to tender to start the works as soon as possible”, Medina explained.
He also stressed that the process has taken somewhat longer than expected due to the complexity of the technical study, which has allowed to detect and evaluate other critical points on the road. “We want to avoid that, once reopened, the road has to be closed again due to similar problems in other sections. We are doing a serious and planned work to guarantee a safe and durable road”, the councilor concluded.
With the project already delivered and the budget defined, the Cabildo of Lanzarote will begin in the coming weeks the process to obtain the sectorial permits that allow the execution of the works. Once obtained, the project will be put out to tender, with the aim of starting the works in the shortest possible time.