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According to Google Maps, driving 150 km from the Trans-Canada Highway to Burgeo, Newfoundland takes more than 3 hours on Newfoundland and Labrador Route 480. An old (1989) topographic map shows it as unpaved between Silver Pond and some 10 km north of Burgeo, but judging from Google Streetview, the road seems entirely paved, pretty much straight, and wide enough for two cars to meet. Does this road really allow an average speed of only 50 km/h, or are the driving time estimates for Google Maps here simply wrong?

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  • It looks pretty not-straight to me... 50km/h doesn't seem that unreasonable to me, just looking at Google maps--especially if there is other traffic, making passing difficult. But I've never driven that specific road, so I can't really say.
    – Flimzy
    May 29, 2014 at 12:29
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    Incidentally, Google now estimates 2 hours and 5 minutes for that route, using the link in your question.
    – reirab
    Jul 24, 2017 at 18:52
  • @reirab That seems more in line with my memory from driving the road about a month after I asked the question.
    – gerrit
    Jul 25, 2017 at 8:27

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I found a speed limit sign on the road (street view link) that shows 80 km/h northbound out of Burgeo. There is another one near the junction with the Trans-Canada Highway the other way (street view link). So it seems likely the speed limit on the majority of 480 is 80 km/h.

There's a "moose" sign a little further on, which probably means you want to be careful in any case.

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    A speed limit of 80 km/h does not necessarily mean driving 80 km/h is feasible.
    – gerrit
    May 30, 2014 at 2:14
  • @gerrit: No of course not, but they're not going to set a speed limit that is unreasonable for the road. You can expect to be able to drive 80 km/h for most of the road in good conditions.
    – Greg Hewgill
    Jun 2, 2014 at 22:16
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    I've seen dirt tracks with 80 km/h speed limits where a Jeep would make 40 km/h at best. More likely 20 km/h. Sometimes speed limits appear to be set by far-away bureaucrats based on a roads official classification, rather than by local authorities with actual local knowledge.
    – gerrit
    Jun 2, 2014 at 22:32
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    The google street view images show that the road is pretty clearly not a dirt road.
    – Greg Hewgill
    Jun 2, 2014 at 22:35
  • Correct. That is why I doubted the Google Maps estimate, which is what motivates the question. I appreciate your help, but I hope someone who has actually driven the road (recently) can clarify if there is anything both of us are missing, or if Google Maps is simply completely wrong.
    – gerrit
    Jun 2, 2014 at 22:38

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