It’s the first major construction project awarded after signing the road agreement between the Canary Islands and the Spanish government at the end of 2018. The contract involves building a second phase of the Aldea highway, an 8.5-kilometer long route between El Risco and Agaete, which also entails improvements to a half-kilometer stretch of the existing highway.
The project includes a total of eight tunnels and two viaducts. Starting at a new roundabout, the first five bidirectional tunnels with one lane in each direction will be built along the way to the viaduct over the La Palma ravine, which will be 130 meters long. Afterwards, another 400 meter long tunnel, three lanes, and two more tunnels will be built under the Risco de Faneque, with two lanes each that are connected by means of crosscuts.
Likewise, the El Risco viaduct will be built, at 520 meters long with three lanes, and the last tunnel will be 600 meters long with three lanes, which will connect the existing stretch at the El Risco semi-link.
The consortium will have five and a half years (65 months) to carry out construction. The Canarias government thinks that building this highway will be the end of an era in Gran Canaria since it will resolve the level of danger it says is present on the current roadway. In addition, it emphasized that this new roadway will cut down the route by 55% compared to the current one. Alongside this, its construction will generate hundreds of new jobs and a corresponding economic boost for the municipality of La Aldea and northern Gran Canaria.
