Google Maps Blue Lines Explained: Water, Routes, and Street View

Executive Briefing

• Distinguishes three blue shades: light blue for waterways, dark blue for active navigation routes, teal for Street View coverage
• Redesigned in 2023, Google Maps shifted roads from yellow to gray and standardized water as light blue globally
• Reduces confusion by switching to Satellite mode to confirm whether blue lines represent canals or roads
• Expanded in 2025, the Transit layer adds transit lines in various colors, including blue, when manually enabled