The La Laguna Transport Interchange is set for a major refurbishment after Tenerife’s Cabildo awarded the €8.1 million project to the UTE COBRA Infraestructuras Hidráulicas-IMESAPI.
Eight bids were assessed during the tender process, with the winning proposal receiving the maximum 100 points on the technical criteria.
The project is intended to bring the interchange up to date and improve the experience for the thousands of people who use it every day.
More than 87 million bus passengers
The scale of the work comes as public transport use across Tenerife has increased significantly.
Cabildo president Rosa Dávila pointed to the rise from around 39 million annual passengers in 2011 to more than 87 million today, saying infrastructure needs to keep pace with improvements to services and the bus fleet.
Around 25,000 people use the La Laguna interchange every day, so this isn’t exactly a quiet little bus station that can be closed for a few months while someone gets the paintbrushes out.
Bigger waiting areas and better protection
The refurbishment will include larger waiting areas, improved protection from the weather and upgraded facilities throughout the interchange.
The plans include:
- Expansion of passenger waiting areas
- Renovation of bus bays
- New glazed enclosures
- New lifts and stairs
- Improved vertical access
- A redesigned façade using more sustainable materials
- A direct connection to the pedestrian bridge at Padre Anchieta
Mobility Councillor Eulalia García said the changes are intended to provide passengers with more space and better shelter while using the interchange.
The winning proposal also includes a three-year extension to the works warranty and an AI-based accessibility system designed to assist people with hearing impairments.
A temporary bus station during the works
The refurbishment is expected to take 20 months, with work scheduled to begin by mid-November, subject to the mandatory 15-day period for potential challenges before the contract is formally signed.
The big question with a project like this is how you carry on running a busy interchange while effectively taking it apart.
The answer will be a temporary station.
It will handle the interchange’s approximately 1,400 daily bus operations and will have 30 bus bays.
Of these, 17 will be located on Avenida Ángel Guimerá, while another 13 will be on part of the University of La Laguna campus, with the university making the land available.
The temporary arrangement is intended to keep public transport running while the main interchange undergoes its transformation.
Once completed, La Laguna should have a bus interchange that is considerably better suited to the number of people using it today.
And given the increase in public transport use across Tenerife, it probably isn’t before time.