diff --git a/routing/src/polyline.ts b/routing/src/polyline.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1cdb37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/routing/src/polyline.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+/*
+ * polyline.ts — Google encoded-polyline codec at precision 1e6 ("polyline6").
+ * -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ * This is the encoding the OSRM demo's `geometries=polyline6` returns and what
+ * the fixture corpus stores VERBATIM (RESEARCH Finding 1): the committed string
+ * is exactly what the server returned — no float rounding, no re-serialization.
+ *
+ * Algorithm (standard Google encoded-polyline, lat then lng per point):
+ *   encode  value = round(coordinate * 1e6); delta = value - previous value
+ *           (previous seeded at 0); zigzag the delta (negative v -> -v*2 - 1,
+ *           else v*2); emit 5-bit chunks little-end first with continuation
+ *           bit 0x20 on every chunk but the last; each chunk + 63 is the
+ *           output character.
+ *   decode  the exact inverse; the accumulated integer is divided by 1e6.
+ *
+ * Because every decoded value lives on the 1e-6 grid, the ROUND-TRIP LAW
+ * holds: encodePolyline6(decodePolyline6(s)) === s for every valid string —
+ * the fixture corpus gate (plan 05-02) leans on this as a free per-pair
+ * assertion.
+ *
+ * T-05-02: malformed input — a coordinate cut off mid-varint (dangling
+ * continuation chunk, odd trailing coordinate) — THROWS "truncated polyline6
+ * input". The decoder never returns partial or NaN points that could poison a
+ * map draw. "" decodes to [] (a legal empty geometry).
+ *
+ * The point shape is declared structurally (identical to types.ts RoutePoint)
+ * because this module is PURE: zero imports, zero I/O — the
+ * search/src/distance.ts precedent (a dependency would weight the Worker and
+ * browser bundles for zero gain). Arithmetic uses double math (values stay far
+ * below 2^53), not int32 bit shifts, so no coordinate range can silently wrap.
+ */
+
+/** Minimal structural point — structurally identical to types.ts RoutePoint. */
+interface PolyPoint {
+  lat: number;
+  lng: number;
+}
+
+/** Encode one zigzagged delta as a 5-bit-chunk varint over the +63 alphabet. */
+function encodeVarint(value: number): string {
+  let v = value < 0 ? -value * 2 - 1 : value * 2;
+  let out = "";
+  while (v >= 0x20) {
+    out += String.fromCharCode((v % 32) + 0x20 + 63);
+    v = Math.floor(v / 32);
+  }
+  return out + String.fromCharCode(v + 63);
+}
+
+/** Decode polyline6 exactly; throws on truncated input (never partial points). */
+export function decodePolyline6(encoded: string): PolyPoint[] {
+  const points: PolyPoint[] = [];
+  const n = encoded.length;
+  let index = 0;
+  let lat = 0;
+  let lng = 0;
+  while (index < n) {
+    // lat then lng per point — a coordinate cut off mid-varint throws (T-05-02).
+    for (let axis = 0; axis < 2; axis++) {
+      let result = 0;
+      let factor = 1;
+      let continuation = true;
+      while (continuation) {
+        if (index >= n) throw new Error("truncated polyline6 input");
+        const code = encoded.charCodeAt(index) - 63;
+        index += 1;
+        result += (code & 0x1f) * factor;
+        factor *= 32;
+        continuation = (code & 0x20) !== 0;
+      }
+      const delta = result % 2 === 1 ? -((result + 1) / 2) : result / 2;
+      if (axis === 0) {
+        lat += delta;
+      } else {
+        lng += delta;
+      }
+    }
+    points.push({ lat: lat / 1e6, lng: lng / 1e6 });
+  }
+  return points;
+}
+
+/** Encode points to polyline6 (deltas accumulate left to right; 1e-6 grid). */
+export function encodePolyline6(points: readonly PolyPoint[]): string {
+  let out = "";
+  let prevLat = 0;
+  let prevLng = 0;
+  for (const point of points) {
+    const lat = Math.round(point.lat * 1e6);
+    const lng = Math.round(point.lng * 1e6);
+    out += encodeVarint(lat - prevLat);
+    out += encodeVarint(lng - prevLng);
+    prevLat = lat;
+    prevLng = lng;
+  }
+  return out;
+}