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Google Maps detour to DIA sends dozens of drivers to a muddy field

The detour took drivers who wanted to avoid a mess on Pena Boulevard to an area near Tower Road and 64th Avenue.

DENVER — When traffic gets bad, many drivers rely on apps like Google Maps or Waze to help them find a faster route. An incident on Sunday demonstrated how algorithms don’t always have the right answer.

Connie Monsees was on her way to Denver International Airport to pick up her husband early Sunday morning. With a little bit more than five miles to go, she said traffic on Peña Boulevard was at a standstill.

“So, I pulled up my phone and went to Google Maps to see if there was a detour,” she said. “It told me 47 minutes if I stayed on Peña, 23 if I took the detour.”

So, Monsees did what most people would do and took the detour, which made her exit on Tower Road. From there, she said the paved road on 64th Avenue turned to dirt … and then it got worse.

“It was like we were out in this farmer’s field, and there were just two tracks where he had driver across the field,” she said.

Credit: Courtesy Connie Monsees

It bears mentioned that it rained quite a bit this weekend, so dirt tracks had turned into mud.

Monsees wasn’t the only person who took the detour either. She said there were like “100 cars out there” – and snapped pictures of vehicles that got stuck on the muddy road.

Luckily, she was driving her four-wheel-drive Hyundai Santa Fe, so she had a better shot than most. And others took notice.

“This gentleman stopped at my car and said, ‘Are you going to the airport?’ and I said ‘I am!’ I have to pick up my husband,’” Monsees said. “And he said, 'Can I throw my bag in your car?’ His sister’s car wasn’t going to make it, so he hopped in.”

A second person also hopped into the car, and Monsees said she was able to power through a ditch that had been too much for other cars that weren’t so lucky.

The three made it to the airport, and Monsees said her two passengers made their flights with just minutes to spare. 

She said her round-trip drive to DIA took two hours longer than usual.

“You know, it’s not always best to rely on technology and it’s okay to wait,” she said.

9NEWS reached out to Google for a statement and has not yet heard back.

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