Smooth ride to El Teide
For residents and tourists who frequently make the trip up to El Teide National Park, the news that the road which links Arona and La Escalona is to be repaired will be very welcome.
The initiative originates from the Island Cabildo and has a budget of over 800,000 euros. Already underway, it is estimated that the work will be completed in four months. However it is unclear whether the entire road is be resurfaced, as local residents hope, or simply that repairs will be made to the worst areas.
Local farmer Jose Gonzalez from La Escalona told The Paper, "For years we have been calling on the government to do something about this road.
"Every now and then a truck comes round, loaded with sand, and workers use this to fill the potholes. "It's ridiculous because within a few days the sand has gone again and while it is there we have to be careful our vehicles don't slide on it.
"Other times they come with asphalt and drop a bit into the holes. It's got to the point where it's hard to see where the repairs begin and the original surface ends.
"For farmers like myself it is very hazardous, especially when our trucks are loaded with sacks of potatoes and we have to travel on that road. It's about time something was done, but I don't understand why it has taken so long."
The route from Los Cristianos up to the high country and El Teide is possibly the most travelled across Tenerife, as more than one million tourists make the trip every year.
Members of the Vilaflor Town Council have been asking the Cabildo to take on the work for many years, since the coffers of this the smallest Municipality on the Island have no where near sufficient funds to take on such a project.
The controversy has existed for some time regarding who should pay, since the extreme wear and tear on the road is largely the result of tourists that are staying and spending in other areas, contributing little to the local economy of Vilaflor.
Source: The Paper