Tunnels are no different from any roadway segment(s) including bridges, viaducts, overpasses, etc. They are drawn and modified the same way as any other road using the geometry nodes to shape the roadway through the tunnel.
Theory of operation
The complication with navigation through tunnels is that generally they obscure GPS communication and cell phone data connections. The Waze servers track each mobile device (driver) as they enter and exit each segment along their route. With the start and end times of each segment, the Waze server can calculate the average speed of drivers through that segment. This is how the Waze server can determine if the tunnel traffic is flowing normally, or if there is a slowdown of the vehicles in the tunnel even without the GPS tracking information while inside the tunnel.
Creation
Due to the GPS and mobile device data communication problems inside tunnels, the mapping process of the tunnel is difficult if it does not follow a straight path from the entrance to the exit. The important point of any tunnel mapping is to at least connect the two entrances to enable the routing engine to use the roadway through the tunnel as appropriate for destinations on the other side of the tunnel.
Find on the visual map the locations of the two entrances of the tunnel. If you know the tunnel is a straight path through the tunnel you can simply draw a new straight road between the two entrances and name the segment appropriately. If you don't know the path of the tunnel personally, check to see what is shown with the GPS tracks through that area. If it shows a consistent path of curves, then the active mobile devices are able to track and communicate the data back to the Waze server and you should lay out the road following that path by altering the geometry nodes to match it. Avoid creating separate segments for the roadway if there are no junctions (splits or joins) inside the tunnel.
If you know the roadway is curved by personal experience and there are no matching curved GPS tracks, consider estimating about where the curves exist inside and shape the segment using the geometry nodes. Then once that new roadway segment is live on the client app you can drive through that tunnel and if the mobile device has the ability to generate its own internal GPS estimate you can see about where on the map your vehicle is in relation to the roadway. Note where the road may turn before or after the map display and make adjustments when you return to the map editor later. Although it is not critical that it match exactly, it is helpful for drivers to have the visual route be similar to the real road as they pass through the area.
Street View
Use Street View (SV) from the start of the tunnel to track the tunnel turns. The SV icon on the overhead map will automatically position itself on the roadway as you move forward. Align the overhead map view of the road segment to the SV icon. Continue through to the end of the tunnel.
Junctions
Some roadways through tunnels include splits or exits to other routes inside the tunnel. Creating the split is done the same as with any other junction. As described in the section above, the GPS tracking and navigation may make it difficult to know exactly where in the tunnel that turn truly exists. In the case of splits and exits, it is more important to be more accurate in the estimate of the actual roadway split or exit so the navigation directions match the roadway as closely as possible. Street View (if available in your country) can be a great help here.
Tolls
If a tunnel requires a toll to be paid in order to pass through the tunnel, use the same toll road controls as for any other roadway segment.
Tunnel Place
Tunnel places can serve as a routing destination and as a landmark label on the map. As destinations, these places allow users to navigate to a tunnel entrance or to add the tunnel as a stop during navigation to get a preferred route. As a landmark, a tunnel place is represented by a label and polygon on the map to help users orient themselves relative to the rest of the map.
Geometry
Active road tunnels should be added as area places. The geometry of the polygon should be limited to the area of the tunnel bore and care should be taken not to cover any open area between multiple bores if they are significantly spaced apart. This prevents the area place layer from covering portions of other map layers between the bores in the app (see bridge place geometry for an example).
Tunnels that are not actively used for traffic (e.g., pedestrian and rail tunnels) should be added as point places to be used as a routing destination. As the features are below ground and non-navigable to road vehicles, they do not serve a purpose as a landmark.
Address
For active road tunnels, use the street name and city of the segments traversing the tunnel with no HN. If the segments on the tunnel are divided and labelled for each direction, the street name should not include the cardinal direction.
When a tunnel crosses two or more city names within a state:
- If the segments share a common street (primary or alternate), select that street name and check the none box for city
- If the segments do not share a common street (primary or alternate), check the none box for street and city
If a tunnel crosses state or country borders, select the state that encompasses a majority of the tunnel or consider mapping two area places in their respective state and/or country.
Tunnels that are not active road tunnels should have their address set like any other place.
Name
This should be an official or locally-used name, preferably signed at each approach. Do not map unnamed tunnels. Tunnels should follow the general standards for naming Places; do not abbreviate the word "Tunnel".
Entry Points
| As of April 2021, Multiple Entry Points (MEPs) are not usable in the production app. When adding entry points, keep in mind that production users are routed only to the originally created entry point. |
Entry points should be added according to the navigation needs of the tunnel place:
- As a destination
- If a tunnel has (a) parking area(s) for pedestrian access near the approach for the bridge and on the same road, they should be set as an entry points and named accordingly.
- If a tunnel does not have pedestrian access but has a nearby lot designated for parking, the entry point should be set to that lot
- As a routing aid
- For single bore with an undivided road, add a single entry point that allows a route to come from either direction. If the tunnel already has a destination entry point near the approach to one or both sides of the bridge, this point does not need to be added.
- For a single bore with divided roads or multi-bore tunnels, an entry point should be added at the entrance of the tunnel from each direction to allow routing from the selected direction. The name of the points should indicate the direction of the segment they are set to.
Lock
Completed tunnel places should be locked to at least 2, though regional guidance may suggest a higher level based on road type, landmark importance, etc.