

The Bay Bridge is gradually disappearing from Google Maps - reedk
https://www.google.com/maps/myplaces?hl=en&ll=37.816599,-122.355552&spn=0.017663,0.036263&ctz=420&t=m&z=15

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aasarava
The Bay Bridge is currently closed until Tues at 5am. It's actually two
bridges that meet at Treasure Island. The Eastern half is being rerouted this
weekend onto a newly completed bridge. (A pretty amazing project, by the way.)
This includes a slight change in the connectors at Treasure Island and in
Oakland. And since it's an entirely new bridge, the map probably treats it as
a new road.

So, quite possibly, the new tiles for the map are in transition or not yet
propagated?

Edit: A correction - they meet on Yerba Buena Island technically, not Treasure
Island.

~~~
hack_edu
Both eastern spans have displayed on Google Maps for the past month or two.
The traffic data was even available, just directions didn't tell you to use
the new bridge yet.

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helper
I assume its an intentional modification so that Google Maps doesn't give
driving directions that use the bridge.

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badclient
I clicked on the link from my iPhone. I'm offered to download the Maps app
even though I already have it. When I click "no thanks" I'm taken to the
homepage.

Fuck you to the PMs and devs at google for such big screw ups all across
google priorities.

~~~
charleslmunger
Take it up with Apple, on android there's an API apps can use to launch
themselves for certain web requests. However, there's no way to do this with
iOS.

~~~
comex
Not being able to tell whether the app is installed is Apple's fault.
Redirecting to the homepage rather than the specific link is not.

~~~
sjwright
Being able to tell whether the app is installed sounds like a privacy
violation. There is a mechanism for linking to apps in iOS; Google should be
using it.

~~~
girvo
Actually it fires an intent, and if the application is there it will catch it,
if not, it won't. No privacy violation needed as IIRC it won't communicate
back to the website.

Could be wrong, haven't done much android programming.

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abirkill
On a similar vein, I was very impressed to note that, when the I-5 bridge over
the Skagit River in Washington collapsed in May this year, it took roughly 1-2
hours from the news breaking (around 7:00pm PDT) for Google to have removed
that section of the I-5 from their maps.

I would be very interested if anyone has insight on how it was done so quickly
(particularly as to whether it's some automated process driven by a reliable
data feed, or whether human intervention was required). It seemed too quick to
be instigated by Map Maker edits, but maybe if enough people submit the same
change, updates are pushed through faster?

~~~
Sanddancer
I used to work for a map company when the Macarthur Maze fire hit, and we were
able to push out a change at about that rapidity. The data files for the maps
aren't terribly complicated to parse, so pushing a change isn't difficult at
all.

~~~
hartror
What sort of data files are they (hoping you don't say MID/MIF).

~~~
Sanddancer
We were using deCarta's DDS software, so their proprietary RMF format.

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trimbo
BTW, I found this super-cool construction cam page earlier today, where you
can look at the construction over the past few years.

[http://baybridgeinfo.org/construction-
cams](http://baybridgeinfo.org/construction-cams)

The YBI camera is the most interesting IMO

~~~
konspence
I don't get why people made so much fun of Apple Maps for showing bridges as
weird, collapsed, accordion-looking structures when Google Maps does the exact
same thing on the exact same bridges.

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tghw
The Bay Bridge is gradually appearing on Google Maps.

Zoom in and you'll see the missing segments with "Planned" on them.

~~~
kristopolous
Doc: Don't you see? The bridge _will_ exist in 1985. It's safe and still in
use. Therefore, as long as we get the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour before
we hit the edge of the ravine, we'll instantaneously arrive at a point in time
where the bridge is completed. We'll have track under us and coast safely
across the ravine!

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tantalor
Even more impressive in the 3d satellite view:
[http://i.imgur.com/J1apYPf.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/J1apYPf.jpg)

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deckar01
Probably because it is under construction.

[http://baybridgeinfo.org/](http://baybridgeinfo.org/)

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Stratoscope
What's amusing is that if you do a hard refresh of the page it shows the old
bridge routing for a fraction of a second and then reloads new tiles with the
truncated new bridge.

Maybe this just says I'm easily amused...

~~~
vxNsr
Probably has to do with chrome cacheing

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codeka
I don't really know the significance of this, it just looks like an error to
me and it's certainly not news that errors exist.

A quick Google search and apparently there's a new section of the bridge
opening or something? I still don't quite see why this is significant?

~~~
etler
It's not an error. If it were, it would be a very big error, as their
directions would be completely broken for everyone going to or from San
Francisco and Oakland, dis-servicing hundreds of thousands of people.

But the bay bridge is closed this weekend:

[http://www.sfmta.com/baybridgelaborday](http://www.sfmta.com/baybridgelaborday)

The reason why this is interesting is that it shows that google is very
responsive about updating their maps in real time based on recent events. It's
impressive. It is also interesting because the Bay Bridge is a major
thoroughfare in the area, and it's odd and unique to see a portion of it cut
off in the map.

~~~
nraynaud
This is a bridge in Bay Area next to the center of their world. I'm pretty
sure african bridges are not updated for road work or even for a long time
after completion.

~~~
davidw
It'd be interesting to see some stats on average update times for various
places. Do they update North Dakota road work with the same frequency/speed?
Canada? Norway? Italy? Japan? Australia?

~~~
russellsprouts
I know that I was trying to hike near Mt. St. Helens in Washington, and Google
maps gave directions along a road that was gone in a landslide at least 3
years ago. In fact, we never found the way to the trail -- several roads were
washed out or blocked with boulders, but Google didn't have the info.

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delgaudm
More frustrating is that the "New" google maps doesn't support this link, and
it rolls back to "classic maps". The new maps significantly lack parity with
the "old" maps. I guess we should be grateful that we can roll back at all.

~~~
chockablock
Another regression: you can't 'add a stop' to directions using the new maps.

"Currently, you can only route between two locations in the new Google Maps.
If you'd like to add a destination or waypoint, you can temporarily use the
classic Google Maps experience."
[https://support.google.com/maps/answer/3092447?ctx=c2n_direc...](https://support.google.com/maps/answer/3092447?ctx=c2n_directions2)

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johns
It's actually the opposite: it's gradually appearing. At least it looks to me
like its displaying the new unfinished span and will connect it when the
transition is done.

~~~
cududa
I don't think so. I noticed a slight removal this morning, and the now missing
area has grown.

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sidwyn
Bay Bridge is undergoing repair works till Sept 3rd, 5am.

[http://baybridgeinfo.org](http://baybridgeinfo.org)

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lnanek2
Google Maps never worked well for that bridge anyway...you'd be driving along
to go to either end and it would get confused and start giving you directions
like you had gotten off on treasure island.

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ahaefner
Directions are routed away from the bridge while it's closed, so maybe they
removed it for this reason.

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kordless
I tried navigating from Moraga to Treasure Island, and it flat out says it
can't route me there.

~~~
xsmasher
And it's probably correct; access to Treasure Island is restricted until the
new bridge is opened.

~~~
asveikau
They have a ferry don't they?

~~~
xsmasher
Not that I can locate. You may be thinking of Alameda or Angel Island.

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asveikau
I guess I figured it was a logical place to have a ferry. Wikipedia says it
was created the same year as the bridge opened (1936), so a totally bridge
dependent island does make sense.

Googling for "treasure island ferry" has a lot of results. Apparently some
would suggest there is one planned?

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gasda
It is also showing the new bridge with east and west lanes side by side.

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znowi
Google sign in is required. I'd appreciate if HN had less posts from the
"walled" sources.

~~~
straight_talk_2
No, it's not required. Try the link in a private mode tab or different
browser.

This is one of those evil tricks, if Microsoft or Google know somehow you have
an account they'll try to force a sign in ever after.

~~~
packetslave
"evil trick" is pushing it, a bit. If I had to guess, the algorithm is more
likely something like "you have a Google auth token in your cookies but it's
too old, so you need to log in again"

