On Thursday, September 24, the province of Utrecht and the municipalities of Woerden and Utrecht officially open the completed F12, a 19-kilometer "doorfietsroute", or fast, direct cycling route, connecting Woerden train station to Leidsekade in Utrecht, according to the province. The festive opening takes place all day at Kerkplein in Harmelen, with free coffee, bike checks, a free breakfast for early commuters and free ice cream for those riding back in the afternoon, the province says.

The route runs from Woerden through Harmelen and De Meern, largely following the Oude Rijn, before entering Utrecht. Along the way, two new cycling bridges were built at the Cattenbroekertunnel and Steinhagensetunnel. Cycling paths were widened, new red asphalt was laid, more streets were made into routes where cyclists have priority and cars are guests, and lighting was improved, according to the province's project page.

Utrecht handled the improvements within its own city limits. At the Meernbrug-Kennedylaan junction near Welgelegen, the municipality removed shrubs to improve sightlines for cyclists. Near Papendorp, a sharp bend by the Rhijnoordviaduct was widened and given clearer cyclist priority. At the Zandweg-Europaweg crossing, the speed limit for cars was cut from 50 to 30 kilometers per hour, car lanes were narrowed and the refuge was widened so Europaweg can be crossed in two stages. A pedestrian crossing was also added at Rijksstraatweg, the city's cycling-routes page states.

The Woerden-to-Harmelen leg, including the new bridge over Steinhagenseweg, was finished and celebrated separately in February, the province says. The municipality of Woerden now describes the entire route as complete, calling it "a comfortable and safe route that connects villages and cities," with cyclists given priority and few obstacles along the way.

That February opening carried a local twist. According to Fietsberaad, a Dutch cycling-policy knowledge platform, a stretch of the route near Woerden was named the "Ellen van Dijkpad" that day, after the three-time world time-trial champion, who was born in Harmelen and lives in Woerden. Van Dijk attended the ceremony alongside Woerden alderman Arjan Noorthoek, Fietsberaad reported.

The F12 is one of fourteen "doorfietsroutes" the province is building across the region, together covering roughly 250 kilometers, according to the province's overview of the program. The goal, the province says, is to give commuters in a fast-growing region a faster, safer alternative to the car for reaching workplaces, shops, schools and transit hubs. One route, between Amersfoort and Bunschoten, was delivered in 2025; four more, Houten-Utrecht Centrum, Houten-Culemborg, Amersfoort-Utrecht Science Park and Mijdrecht-Schiphol, are in development.