Thirty kilometers of bicycle highway
The direct Assen-Groningen cycle route largely runs tightly along the Havenkanaal in Assen, and further north along the Noord-Willemskanaal to Groningen. The route is about thirty kilometers long and can be completed on an e-bike in just over an hour. The largest part of the bicycle highway is located on the east side of the canal.
One piece of west side of the canal
Once, as a cyclist, you are sent to the west side of the canal. That is on the Groningen-Drenthe provincial border, near the Oosterbroeksebrug. From there, the route will be on the west side for a few kilometers, and goes south past the former Beuving shipyard, up to Sluis De Punt.
At the lock, the cycle route returns to the east side of the Noord-Willemskanaal, before arriving in Assen via the Kanaaldijk, the Watermolendijk, and the bicycle tunnel that has yet to be constructed at Vriezerbrug.
It is a project of the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen, the municipalities of Assen, Tynaarlo and Groningen, and the government. They want to stimulate bicycle traffic with the fast connection. Construction started in 2018 and would have already been completed if the authorities involved had not encountered various obstacles along the way.
The total costs of the fast concrete bicycle street between Groningen and Assen were estimated years ago at forty million euros. And according to the province of Drenthe, they are still based on this budget. The money for the Assen-Groningen bicycle highway mainly comes from both provinces and the government. The municipalities pay a smaller share.