The F28 Cycle Route Utrecht – Amersfoort under construction

Some of the upgrades of major cycle routes take quite a bit of time! In 2017, I rode the proposed route of the future F28 cycle route from Utrecht to Amersfoort. At the time, it was expected that the full route would be constructed between 2018 and 2020. That was far too optimistic! Right now, the route is still in development. Some parts have been reconstructed, some parts have been only been redesigned on paper so far, while yet other parts are still in the planning stages. That is partly because the route runs through five different municipalities, and of course, COVID postponed procedures.

The route in Utrecht still has to be reconstructed. This is Alexander Numankade that will become a Fietsstraat (Cycle street) from 2025.

This street in De Bilt was already reconstructed. From a residential street it was transformed into a cycle street.

One of the parts that is still in the planning stage is the route through Utrecht. On the city website we can now read:

At this moment, we are further developing the functional design into a preliminary design […]. We expect to present this to residents at an information session in early 2024 and collect their feedback. We will incorporate the responses into a preliminary design to be approved by the council. After that, we will create a final design. Then the bidding process will folow and selecting a company to do the job, we anticipate starting the construction work in 2025.

Compared to the originally expected building phase of 2018/2020, that is at least a five-year delay! This also means that the original Masterplan from 2017 and the final route will be quite different. Simply because over time, policies, views, and decision-makers will have changed. On the Amersfoort end, the work has also yet to begin. At the same time, major parts in De Bilt have already changed a lot in the six years since I filmed the original “before” situation in 2017.

A reconstructed intersection in Bilthoven. Clearly the cycle route now has priority at this location.

This street in Bilthoven will be reconstructed. There is now a one-way cycle path on one side of the road and an on-street cycle lane on the other side. In the future there will be a bi-directional cycle path on one side of the road.

It is interesting that at a municipal border you can see minor differences in the road design. The footway ends, the central reservation is shaped slightly different, as is the gutter area. Other than that the route clearly continues as a cycle street at both sides of the municipal border.

This path alongside the railway in Soest has been widened and the surface is now a smooth concrete. More than enough space for a class of school children. They can be passed much more easily than the two elderly ladies in the before situation which I captured in 2017. The blue stripe was a test to see if that would tie the route together better.

To give this route a distinct identity, ten artworks have been strategically installed at irregular intervals on the entire route. An accompanying website, also available in English, provides an explanation for these artworks as follows:

Ten statues are placed between Utrecht, the city of Gerrit Rietveld, and Amersfoort, the city of Piet Mondriaan.

They mark the special bond between these two cities and are a lasting reminder of the celebration of 100 years art movement De Stijl (1917-2017). The artistic legacy of it can no longer be ignored.

Artist Boris Tellegen (1986) designed the sculptures, each over 6.5 meters high. They stand as striking totems in the landscape along this cycle route, connecting both cities with a rich creative history and future.

Route description with the works of art alongside of it. Downloadable as PDF.

One of the totem pole shaped art works in Soest. This is a concrete version called “construction”.

Also in Soest is this other art work next to a picnic bench called “Green”. It is made of galvanised steel.

Amersfoort is the only other city in the province of Utrecht. Just last week it was named “European city of the year” by The Academy of Urbanism in London. In early June 2023, Hackney Cyclist embarked on yet another trip to the Netherlands, planning to pedal his way from Amersfoort to Utrecht. We agreed that I would join him, riding alongside on my own bicycle. On my way to Amersfoort to meet him, I captured the entire 20.3-kilometer route on my current camera, which is much superior compared to my setup from 2017. I plan to use most of this video for a future comparison when the route is completely finished. Although some sections of the route have undergone significant changes already, a considerable portion remained in its “before” state, with ongoing construction work adding to the mix. I believe this combination of factors makes for a captivating video.

The route in the forest, just outside Amersfoort, has been widened. In the foreground you can still see the old width of the original cycle path which was considerably narrower.

Here, on the outskirts of Bilthoven, the reconstruction works were proceeding at full speed. I expect that this dedicated cycle street will have been completed now. The cycle street replaces the just 1.9m wide bi-directional cycle way of the before situation that was much too narrow.

My over an hour long video showing the ride from Utrecht to Amersfoort on the future F28 cycle route. This was filmed in early June 2023.