A major Cumbrian road and bridge were deleted from Google Maps after being severely damaged by floods in Cumbria.
One of the biggest casualties of Storm Desmond was the 251 year old Pooley Bridge, which partially collapsed when it was unable to cope with the sheer volume of water surging under it.
Another road badly affected was the A591, which suffered from landslips and flooding between the B5322 Back Lane junction in Legburthwaite, and the Pye Lane junction in Grasmere.
Whilst the mapping website still showed the roads, they were greyed out, listing them as ‘planned’.
This serves as a depressing reminder of the difficulties caused by the floods.
The Google Maps website states that the ‘Planned’ marker is applied to roads that are in the proposed or planning stage, but where no construction work has started.
Whilst these routes do seem likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future, typically Google Maps will mark its damaged roads which are due to be repaired as being ‘Closed for Maintenance’.
Currently the map does not divert drivers away from the ‘Planned’ roads, but this may change, as Google Maps states that “Pathfinder will not use those roads for routing”.
Journey times between some Cumbrian towns has been dramatically increased as a result of the road closures.
Other closed roads in the county, such as the A5086 in Cockermouth - currently shut both ways between the Derwent Street junction and Wakefield Road junction - are not listed as being closed at all.
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