Provincial road N34 is a Dutch

provincial road A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

that links the N36 near Ommen,

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

Rijksweg 28 The A28 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is approximately 188 kilometers in length. The A28 traverses the Dutch provinces of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Gelderland, Overijssel, Drenthe and Groningen (province), Groningen. The road c ...

near De Punt,

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

. The entire road is an

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

, of which the part between Coevorden and Emmen-West (the junction with the N391) consists of two lanes in each direction.

Route description

The N34 starts in the north in De Punt where it cuts off from the A28 in the province

and ends in the south in Ommen where it continues as the R105 in the province of

. At the White Pole between Ommen and Hardenberg, the N36 crosses the N34. At the grade-separated

Interchange Holsloot Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

, the A37 crosses the N34, also the N33 crosses the N34 with roads that are grade-separated. In Drenthe the N34 is also known as the Hunebed Highway, because of the many hunebeds near the N34. They even have signs suggesting an American Interstate. The most important cities alongside the N34 are Ommen, Hardenberg, Coevorden, Emmen, Borger, Gieten, Annen and

Zuidlaren Zuidlaren (Noordenvelds: ''Zuudlaoren'') is a village in the province of Drenthe in the Northern Netherlands. Zuidlaren has just over 10,000 inhabitants and is situated on natural heightened land which is called the Hondsrug. The village is part ...

History and future

The route of the N34 has a steeped history. There has been a road for centuries that connects the same locations as the N34 does. This is mainly because a large part of the road is located on the Hondsrug. This ridge crossed above the swamps that were on either side, and habitation was mainly concentrated on the Hondsrug. In 2010 the N34 was rerouted around Ommen to reduce the traffic load in the city and the hamlet of Hoogengraven; the road used to go through Ommen. The interchange with the N33 used to be a

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

, but because this is the provincial road with the most accidents by date and especially that crossing, Rijkswaterstaat decided to make it a grade-separated interchange; this also resulted in a better flow of traffic. To make space for this interchange, an oak grove had to be cut down. The trees have been cut by Rijkswaterstaat, despite opposition from residents that went to the Council of State of the Netherlands, but lost the case. Because the N34 is known as a dangerous road (a dodenweg in Dutch) a lot of changes were made over the last few years. Crossings were adjusted so the N34 has no more same-level-junctions anymore. From Ommen to Coevorden it is prohibited to overtake for 18 kilometer as part to make the road more safe. The N34 used to run to the town center of Ommen, but now ends a couple of kilometres east of the town. The original route was downgraded into a recreational route, and traffic now has to use the new northward extension of the N36 to get around Ommen. Because the road is an important road between bigger cities/towns in the eastern part of the Netherlands, where Enschede, Hengelo, Almelo, Vriezenveen, Ommen, Hardenberg, Coevorden, Emmen, Borger and Groningen are connected with each other, the both provinces want to double the road on four places to discourage an overtake and ease the traffic. At least the part between Coevorden-Noord and Emmen (where the N34 meets the N381) will be doubled before 2022.

Junction and exit list

References

{{Provincial roads in the Netherlands 34 34 34