Commissioners hear township concerns that mapping apps route heavy trucks onto County Road 20

A township official told commissioners that Google and other mapping apps were directing heavy truck traffic down County Road 20 from the interstate, creating wear and damage on a roadway that township leaders say is unsuitable for such traffic. The commissioner said drivers follow the mapping directions rather than township signs.

County IT/highway staff explained mapping firms draw on state GIS data and proprietary routing algorithms that select the shortest or fastest available routes. "From Google's perspective, if the road is legally able to be driven on with the vehicles that are able to drive on it, they will route accordingly," staff said. They added that the county provides road-data updates through the state GIS hub and that a national algorithm will still route across a valid road.

Staff suggested options including working with the state GIS feed to ensure road-surface designations are accurate, placing signage, or the township adopting an over-dimensional/load-limit policy to restrict large vehicles (except farm vehicles). Commissioners asked staff to explore signage and conversations with township officials and state partners.

Why it matters: routing large trucks onto lightly built county roads can increase maintenance costs and affect public safety; while mapping providers control routing algorithms, accurate GIS data and local signage/policies can influence routing and enforcement options.