Six authorities have taken a formal step toward developing a cycling connection between Utrecht and Amsterdam. On Friday, the province of Utrecht, Vervoerregio Amsterdam, and the municipalities of Amsterdam, De Ronde Venen, Stichtse Vecht and Utrecht signed an administrative agreement for the F2 route, known as "Dom tot Dam," the province announced. The agreement provides a joint basis for further design work; it is not final approval for every section to be built.

The route runs largely alongside the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal and parallel to the A2, one of the country's busiest highways, connecting the two cities' central landmarks — the Dom tower and the Dam. The province calls it the "mother of all doorfietsroutes," the Dutch term for long-distance cycle routes designed for fast, comfortable commuting. Planning for it dates back to the 1990 Masterplan Fiets, meaning Friday's signing came 36 years after the idea was first floated.

What the agreement covers

The signing itself does not build anything. It gives the six parties a joint basis to develop the route further, supported by cost-benefit analyses and variant studies that the province says found the expected benefits outweigh construction costs. Timelines differ by section: Stichtse Vecht says it plans to start work in 2028 if its council makes the required budget available, while Utrecht's project page lists construction of different sections from 2030.

Planned improvements include wider cycling paths, physical separation from motor traffic where none currently exists, better lighting, clearer signage and safer crossings. Several specific locations were named. In Stichtse Vecht, the Westkanaaldijk is planned to become a traffic-calmed cycling street with lighting and speed bumps, running from the Utrecht border to Loenersloot. The municipality says it will not take on financial obligations until its council makes the required budget available. In De Ronde Venen, the agreement covers better access to a train station and a sports field, plus new lighting.

A bridge still needs money

In Utrecht, the route passes through the Lage Weide industrial estate, where the province says the Niels Bohrweg is a known bottleneck that will get near-term attention. But the route's biggest open question is the Demkabrug, the bridge over the canal that the route depends on. Utrecht has designed a temporary fix for the existing crossing, but a full cycling connection requires a new bridge that is not yet funded.

Utrecht alderman Matthijs Sienot said, as quoted in the province's announcement, that "over 19,000 skilled workers at Lage Weide deserve a good and safe cycling route to work," adding that without the bridge connection, "the route literally stalls halfway."

Gedeputeerde André van Schie of the province said the route "creates a strong connection between Utrecht and Amsterdam" that should make cycling "a logical, attractive and healthy alternative" to driving between the cities. Marja Ruigrok, vice-chair of Vervoerregio Amsterdam, said residents "feel no distinction between municipal and provincial borders," and that the agreement means the authorities involved no longer do either.

The signing ceremony took place at BikeFlip, a bicycle shop in Utrecht, with Stichtse Vecht alderman Maarten van der Greft saying, according to his municipality's own announcement, that faster access between Utrecht and Amsterdam by bike also improves how easily residents reach destinations within his own municipality.