Molenpad-Polderpad stays closed longer as bridge parts are delayed

Editors · 9 October 2026

The cycle link near Foxhol and Kropswolde was due back in October. Two local reports now say 16 December, while direct municipal confirmation of that date is still missing.

The Kropswolderbuitenpolder in 2013; this is not a photograph of the closed path or the works. · Photo: Wutsje / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image

The Molenpad-Polderpad near Foxhol and Kropswolde has been closed since 17 August. According to RTV Midden-Groningen and 112hoogezand, it is now due to reopen on Wednesday 16 December 2026. That date comes from local reporting; the research did not find a public municipal notice confirming the delay directly.

RTV Midden-Groningen says the delay concerns concrete beams for new bridge sections in the cycle path: delivery is late. Meanwhile, the municipality is widening about 2.5 kilometres of the path, from Woldweg in Foxhol to beyond the site of a future rail bridge.

The work prepares for a larger change. ProRail plans to remove two unguarded rail crossings near Foxhol and build a new bridge over the railway for cyclists and pedestrians. The widened path is meant to connect to it. The work therefore affects access to the area as well as the path itself.

Windmotor Koetze Tibbe in the Kropswolderbuitenpolder. It has not been established that the Molenpad is named after this wind-powered pumping mill. · Photo: Wutsje / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image

The diversion for cyclists remains in place until reopening. According to the local update, it runs along the other side of the canal and is signposted. The research contains no reliable map or distance for the detour, so follow the signs on site.

The path runs near the polders north of Zuidlaardermeer. They belong to the Zuidlaardermeer Natura 2000 area. Het Groninger Landschap describes Kropswolderbuitenpolder and Westerbroekstermadepolder as wetland that can also store water in an emergency. The route thus gives access to an important landscape.

The original schedule pointed to mid-October. For now, both recent local reports give 16 December as the new reopening date. Cyclists can follow the current diversion and check whether the municipality has since confirmed the reopening before setting off.