What changes now for visitors and residents?
Nothing changes for now: the LP-2 stays cut between San Simón/Las Manchas and Tajuya until the works end. The government plans to finish in the first four months of 2027.
The Las Palmas congress is a trade conference, so it has no effect on traffic on La Palma. There are no reports of closures or diversions during the building period.
Guests in the south and residents of Las Manchas and Fuencaliente should keep planning trips to the Aridane Valley without the direct route over the lava. By Saturday 14 November the government had named no official opening date.
If you are booking a hire car or transfer, allow extra time and check with the Cabildo (island government) shortly before you travel. No date is known for a first opening of individual sections.
What is on the programme at the congress in Las Palmas?
About 250 delegates from authorities, engineering, research and construction are expected at the I Congreso Canario de Carreteras (first Canary Roads Congress). It runs on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 November at the Palacio de Congresos de Canarias–Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The Asociación Española de la Carretera (AEC) organises the congress and the Canarian government supports it. Its motto is “Carreteras para un futuro más eficiente” (roads for a more efficient future).
Pablo Rodríguez, consejero (minister) for Obras Públicas, Vivienda y Movilidad, opens the event at 09:30 on 17 November with state secretary José Antonio Santano. The LP-2 follows on 18 November from 09:00 in the session “Obras singulares que redefinen la movilidad de un territorio fragmentado”.
The session covers four major island projects, including solutions for restoring the infrastructure the volcano destroyed on the LP-2. The other three are the La Aldea–Agaete road (El Risco–Agaete stretch) on Gran Canaria, the Anillo Insular with the Erjos tunnel on Tenerife and the Corredor Norte-Sur on Fuerteventura.
Rosana Melián, directora general (director general) de Infraestructura Viaria, chairs the session. Closing remarks follow at 15:00 on 18 November.
How is the road across the solidified lava being built?
Lava from the Tajogaite volcano buried 2.3 kilometres of the LP-2 in September 2021. The authorities say the eruption began on 19 September 2021.
The new route runs between Las Manchas and Tajuya. It links the Aridane Valley with Fuencaliente and Villa de Mazo.
The authorities say the lava is not removed. An insulating embankment goes on top to carry off residual heat.
The ground is still thermally active, possibly with hot spots. Builders therefore keep adjusting the excavation and taking geothermal readings.
No temperature figure has been given. The authorities call the heat underground the project’s biggest technical difficulty.
The budget is 24.1 million euros, approved over several years by the Consejo de Gobierno (Canarian cabinet) on 17 November 2025. The works fall under the 2018–2027 roads agreement with the state, but no source says how much each side pays.
Pablo Rodríguez put the build time at 14 months on 26 January 2026, at an event with Cabildo president Sergio Rodríguez. Progress stood above 30% on 4 August 2026, and the authorities expect 60% by early 2027.
Why was there no new tender, and who is critical?
The works run as supplementary project No. 1 (proyecto complementario) to the contract for the San Simón–Tajuya stretch, awarded in 2011. The Cabildo first considered emergency works under the roads agreement, but the state did not allow that funding, so the ordinary procedure applied.
An opinion piece calls the approach lawful but not neutral, saying it shortens deadlines and limits competition. The citizens’ platform Tierra Bonita complains of restricted access to plans and expert reports.
The Consejería says everything followed legal channels and the plans are on display at offices, though not fully digital. According to the sources, nobody disputes the need for the road.
In May 2025 a report by the Consejería de Transición Ecológica proposed a tunnel under the lava flow as the only alternative. Cabildo president Sergio Rodríguez called that “unacceptable” and demanded an explanation.
The road is now being built on the surface, over the lava. No document shows how the dispute ended.
What is still open, and what comes next?
The government has published no exact opening date, only the window of the first four months of 2027. It is not confirmed whether progress after August went as planned or whether extra costs or delays have arisen.
One reference to a third contract amendment of more than 14 million euros could not be checked. It is also unclear whether it forms part of the 24.1 million euros or is separate.
The next fixed date is the session on 18 November at 09:00 in Las Palmas, where the roads infrastructure directorate presents the LP-2. After that, building progress counts until the planned finish in the first four months of 2027.