5:40 a.m. UPDATE: It looks like Google Maps has fixed a problem that incorrectly marked eastbound I-285 near Ga. 400 as closed. Here’s the original post from Tuesday:
A funny thing has happened to Google Maps as bridge construction closed lanes along I-285 this week – funny, that is, unless you’re trying to use Google Maps.
The Georgia Department of Transportation closed one eastbound lane on the Perimeter between Roswell Road and Ashford Dunwoody Road over the weekend to accommodate bridge construction. That left just three eastbound lanes on one of the busiest stretches of highway in the Southeast – a recipe for major traffic headaches.
But three lanes isn’t nothing. Somebody better tell Google Maps.
The navigational app appears to consider eastbound I-285 a closed road around the Ga. 400 interchange, though it’s not closed. It guides eastbound motorists off the Perimeter onto the exit for the Glenridge Connector. The app then leads motorists to exit onto Glenridge, then take the exit that leads back to I-285 eastbound.
No amount of coaxing would make Google Maps change the route to travel east on I-285 straight through the interchange area Tuesday afternoon. Here’s a look at Google’s preferred route as of 5 p.m.:
Credit: Screen shot of Google Maps
Credit: Screen shot of Google Maps
When asked about the issue Tuesday, GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said Google Maps “appears to have marked (I-285 eastbound) as a closed road.” She said no other navigational apps have exhibited the quirk, and GDOT has reached out to Google to correct the problem.
Meanwhile, GDOT is preparing to close a westbound lane on I-285 in the same area as soon as this weekend. The lane closures are expected to last at least eight months.
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