After years of preparation, consultation with residents, and execution, the project is now complete. On December 3, 2025, Deputy Klaas Ruitenberg officially handed the road back to the community.
Improving Traffic Safety
We improved the roads asphalt. In 2024, Smart Signaling was installed at the Broekstraat intersection to help cyclists cross safely. This system is new in the Netherlands and helps cyclists judge when it is safe to cross. It uses sensors and lights embedded in the bike path. Additionally, mandatory passing bays for agricultural traffic were installed every 2 kilometers. There is now a no-overtaking rule for cars on this road. Furthermore, 276 new trees were planted to green the area around the Nettelhorsterweg.
Cycling Along the ‘Praotvolk’
We also enhanced the landscape and attractiveness of the cycling route with the art route Praotvolk. The route from Borculo to Lochem, featuring sculptures representing people and animals from the region, runs along the Nettelhorsterweg (N825). It is a collection of artworks made of corten steel by artist Mirjan Koldeweij. On December 3, the 7th artwork ‘Evan and Bram’ was unveiled. The sculpture tells the personal story of these two friends from Geesteren. They made a special bike trip to Antwerp and raised €68,000 for the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF).
Good Cooperation
A special aspect of the Nettelhorsterweg project was that in 2019 a group of residents took the initiative to improve the road.
Special to See
The initiators of “de Slimste Weg” and Province of Gelderland jointly took the lead to consult with the community about improvements on or along the Nettelhorsterweg. It is special to see that this joint effort, which originated from residents, has resulted in a beautiful N825 that everyone is proud of.
Province of Gelderland
The citizen initiative led to the collaboration between governments, businesses, schools, and residents called ‘Proeftuin Nettelhorst’. We invited residents and interest groups, including Geesterens Belang, Twickel estate, tree foundations, LTO, and the primary school ‘De Nettelhorst’ to think along and discuss themes such as traffic safety, smart systems and inventions, livability, and recognizability of the area. This allowed us to take extra measures during implementation.
