Can drivers use the Erjos tunnel on Tenerife yet?

No, the El Tanque–Santiago del Teide section is not open. There is no confirmed opening date.

Do visitors need to do or change anything because of the planting?

No, the statement of 12 November 2026 names no rule, no price and no deadline. It also said nothing about effects on traffic from the landscaping work.

Which species will be planted at the Erjos tunnel?

El Tanque supplies palo blanco, faya, brezo, laurel, acebiño, viñátigo and Canary pine, among others. Santiago del Teide supplies verode, retama, tabaiba roja, tabaiba amarga and Canary pine.

Is the summer 2026 closure of the TF-5 part of the ring closure?

No, the Cabildo de Tenerife closed the TF-5 between Icod de los Vinos and El Tanque for micro-asphalt work. That is a separate measure.

Tenerife Anillo Insular: 11,900 plants for Erjos tunnel

Q: How many native plants are ready for the ring closure?

The Gobierno de Canarias gives about 11,900 plants, roughly 6,400 in El Tanque and roughly 5,500 in Santiago del Teide. The figure of 12,000 in the headline of the statement is rounded.

What changes now for visitors and residents?

The Gobierno de Canarias (Canary Islands government) announced no new rule, price or deadline on 12 November 2026. Its statement covers only the plant stock and the planned landscaping of the building site.

The El Tanque–Santiago del Teide section is still closed, and no opening date is confirmed. Anyone driving on Tenerife should keep planning without the new tunnel.

The construction consortium UTE Cierre del Anillo Insular de Tenerife plans to start the first landscaping work in the coming months. The statement gave no exact date and said nothing about possible effects on traffic.

The statement of 12 November 2026 asks nothing of visitors or residents: nothing to book, nothing to apply for. News on the opening and on traffic should appear from the Gobierno de Canarias and the Cabildo (island government) of Tenerife.

Which plants are waiting in the nurseries?

The Gobierno de Canarias counts about 11,900 plants in two nurseries: roughly 6,400 in El Tanque and roughly 5,500 in Santiago del Teide. The headline of the statement says 12,000, which is the rounded figure.

The El Tanque nursery raises species for heath, laurel forest and pine habitats, including palo blanco, faya, brezo, laurel, acebiño, viñátigo and Canary pine. The choice follows the habitats found in the construction area.

Santiago del Teide grows plants for the drier scrub zones: verode, retama, tabaiba roja, tabaiba amarga and also Canary pine. Part of the stock comes from external seedbeds.

Before final planting, the plants get used to the site in zones near the building works. The programme runs through the Dirección General de Infraestructura Viaria (road infrastructure directorate) of the Consejería de Obras Públicas, Vivienda y Movilidad (regional ministry for public works, housing and mobility).

How long is the route, and what is the Erjos tunnel?

The western ring closure between El Tanque and Santiago del Teide measures 11.3 kilometres, and about half of it runs in tunnels or covered cuttings. It is an ordinary road with one lane in each direction and a design speed of 80 km/h.

The Erjos tunnel is 5.1 kilometres long. It passes beneath the Parque Rural de Teno (Teno rural park) and the village of Erjos, and it comes out in the Valle de Santiago del Teide. It has two parallel tubes of 5,095 metres each and counts as the longest tunnel in the Canary Islands.

The section links the TF-1 with the TF-5 and closes the ring together with the Adeje–Santiago del Teide and Icod–El Tanque stretches. Tunnel excavation ended in November 2024.

For the landscape, a border park (parque de borde) was already planned in 2023 to shield Santiago del Teide from the effects of the road. Of the then budget of 256 million euros, 18 million euros were set aside for environmental measures, as of February 2023.

What does the ring closure cost, and why is it taking so long?

The contract was awarded in 2019 for just over 240 million euros and signed on 11 November 2019. The signature came shortly before the environmental impact declaration expired.

Price adjustments raised the budget to 256 million euros by February 2023. By then about 80% of the tunnel was excavated, and 102 workers were on site in three shifts.

In January 2026 the Dirección General de Infraestructura Viaria gave final approval to modification number 2 (modificado 2). It costs 21.488 million euros, or 8.9% of the budget then in force, and brings environmental improvements, better energy efficiency and more safety in the Erjos tunnel.

A photovoltaic plant is planned at the south portal (figures vary between 500 kW and 589.68 kWp). It should cover about 55% of the tunnel's energy needs in normal operation, while sprayed concrete instead of formwork should avoid about 32,000 tonnes of CO2.

Former Consejero (regional minister) Sebastián Franquis gave March 2025 as the completion date in February 2023. That date has passed, as work continues in November 2026.

What remains open, and what about the TF-5?

In August 2026 the Cabildo de Tenerife announced a full closure of the TF-5 between Icod de los Vinos and El Tanque (km 50+900 to 62+200) for micro-asphalt work. From 30 August it applied at night from 22:00 to 06:00, and from 1 September by day too, with about two weeks expected.

The Cabildo named mainly the TF-42 and TF-82 as diversions. This has nothing to do with the Cierre, and it is not confirmed whether the work ended as planned.

Not published are the cost of the planting, the area in hectares, the member firms of the consortium and the current construction progress. Reports give the first quarter of 2027 for the opening, but this could not be checked.

The first landscaping work is due to start in the coming months, but no date is given. No confirmed opening date for the road could be found as of Thursday 12 November 2026.