The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is investing €526,000 in a complete overhaul of 410 metres of pavement on Francisco La Roche Avenue, a key thoroughfare in the capital. The project has been awarded to the UTE Firmes Santa Cruz through Lot 3 of the municipal framework agreement and the Impulso Urbano programme. Work will be carried out exclusively at night to minimise disruption on this heavily trafficked road, starting on Sunday, 30 August, at 8:00 PM and ending on Wednesday, 2 September, at 6:00 AM, with activities concentrated within this time frame over three consecutive nights.
The road redesign will incorporate technology aimed at reducing noise and increasing durability. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez emphasised that this avenue is “a vital artery for Santa Cruz” and highlighted the need to continuously improve and maintain the city’s main roads, particularly those with high traffic volumes. He explained that alongside renewing the pavement, a technical solution will be introduced to enhance both the quality and longevity of the surface, while using materials that help lessen road noise. This initiative is significant for both daily commuters and the overall mobility of the city.
To improve acoustic comfort, the traffic lanes will use an asphalt mixture enriched with recycled rubber from old tyres, while standard materials will be used for parking areas. Public Services Councillor Carlos Tarife stated that a key aspect of this project is the application of continuous paving without longitudinal joints, achieved through the coordinated and simultaneous operation of four paving machines. These machines will work in parallel—two for parking areas and two for traffic lanes—to cover the full width of the road in one pass. To manage the complexity of the operation and the flow of trucks, which will be marked according to their load, the project will include four supervisors overseeing milling, paving, machine coordination, and logistical control.
The execution timeline is divided into three linear phases. The first phase will address 150 metres from República de Honduras Street during the night of 30-31 August. The second phase will cover another 150 metres from 31 August to 1 September, with the final phase handling the remaining 110 metres up to the tunnel connection with Via Litoral on the night of 1-2 September. Tarife noted that the planning takes into account the importance of this avenue for Santa Cruz’s mobility, hence the decision to concentrate work at night and phase the operation to minimise inconveniences for drivers and public transport users.
Local police will coordinate traffic closures and diversions, particularly affecting the roundabout at San Sebastián Avenue and the intersection near Rambla de Santa Cruz. Public transport will also face changes until 4 September, restricted to the night hours of 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Nine bus routes will be altered: 909, 910, 916, 917, 921, 945, 946, 947, and 970. Routes 910, 916, 917, 945, 946, and 970 will detour via Tres de Mayo Avenue and Rambla de Santa Cruz between the Intercambiador and Muelle Norte.
The 909 line heading to Barrio de La Alegría will reroute from La Marina Street via Arquitecto Marrero Reglado, San Isidro, and Rambla de Santa Cruz before returning to Francisco La Roche. In the opposite direction to the Intercambiador, it will travel from Muelle Norte to Rambla and Tres de Mayo. The 921 line will change its route from Comandancia de Marina, going through Rambla and Tres de Mayo before returning to the Intercambiador. This operation will temporarily suspend bus stops at Hacienda, Estación Marítima, and the two at Edificio Múltiples 1, with users advised to go to the stops at the Intercambiador, Avenida Anaga, and Comandancia de Marina instead.
