diff --git a/goldens/public-api/router/errors.md b/goldens/public-api/router/errors.md
index ee4961e8c8a75..91ca86d2f1d14 100644
--- a/goldens/public-api/router/errors.md
+++ b/goldens/public-api/router/errors.md
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ export const enum RuntimeErrorCode {
     // (undocumented)
     INVALID_DOUBLE_DOTS = 4005,
     // (undocumented)
+    INVALID_ROOT_URL_SEGMENT = 4015,
+    // (undocumented)
     INVALID_ROUTE_CONFIG = 4014,
     // (undocumented)
     MISPLACED_OUTLETS_COMMAND = 4004,
diff --git a/goldens/public-api/router/index.md b/goldens/public-api/router/index.md
index 6b6a41617d5c1..18ad0f798e939 100644
--- a/goldens/public-api/router/index.md
+++ b/goldens/public-api/router/index.md
@@ -1033,6 +1033,10 @@ export abstract class UrlSerializer {
 
 // @public
 export class UrlTree {
+    constructor(
+    root?: UrlSegmentGroup,
+    queryParams?: Params,
+    fragment?: string | null);
     fragment: string | null;
     // (undocumented)
     get queryParamMap(): ParamMap;
diff --git a/packages/router/src/errors.ts b/packages/router/src/errors.ts
index a8c95998ebcde..1efbec6695239 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/errors.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/errors.ts
@@ -25,4 +25,5 @@ export const enum RuntimeErrorCode {
   OUTLET_NOT_ACTIVATED = 4012,
   OUTLET_ALREADY_ACTIVATED = 4013,
   INVALID_ROUTE_CONFIG = 4014,
+  INVALID_ROOT_URL_SEGMENT = 4015,
 }
diff --git a/packages/router/src/router.ts b/packages/router/src/router.ts
index 9bb35101f50d2..f6e35fb39fdd7 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/router.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/router.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import {ChildrenOutletContexts} from './router_outlet_context';
 import {ActivatedRoute, ActivatedRouteSnapshot, createEmptyState, RouterState, RouterStateSnapshot} from './router_state';
 import {Params} from './shared';
 import {DefaultUrlHandlingStrategy, UrlHandlingStrategy} from './url_handling_strategy';
-import {containsTree, createEmptyUrlTree, IsActiveMatchOptions, isUrlTree, UrlSerializer, UrlTree} from './url_tree';
+import {containsTree, IsActiveMatchOptions, isUrlTree, UrlSerializer, UrlTree} from './url_tree';
 import {flatten} from './utils/collection';
 import {standardizeConfig, validateConfig} from './utils/config';
 import {Checks, getAllRouteGuards} from './utils/preactivation';
@@ -582,7 +582,7 @@ export class Router {
     this.isNgZoneEnabled = ngZone instanceof NgZone && NgZone.isInAngularZone();
 
     this.resetConfig(config);
-    this.currentUrlTree = createEmptyUrlTree();
+    this.currentUrlTree = new UrlTree();
     this.rawUrlTree = this.currentUrlTree;
     this.browserUrlTree = this.currentUrlTree;
 
diff --git a/packages/router/src/url_tree.ts b/packages/router/src/url_tree.ts
index 77e986b7d749d..84a8d693b5030 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/url_tree.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/url_tree.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,6 @@ import {equalArraysOrString, forEach, shallowEqual} from './utils/collection';
 
 const NG_DEV_MODE = typeof ngDevMode === 'undefined' || ngDevMode;
 
-export function createEmptyUrlTree() {
-  return new UrlTree(new UrlSegmentGroup([], {}), {}, null);
-}
-
 /**
  * A set of options which specify how to determine if a `UrlTree` is active, given the `UrlTree`
  * for the current router state.
@@ -196,14 +192,22 @@ export class UrlTree {
   // TODO(issue/24571): remove '!'.
   _queryParamMap!: ParamMap;
 
-  /** @internal */
   constructor(
       /** The root segment group of the URL tree */
-      public root: UrlSegmentGroup,
+      public root: UrlSegmentGroup = new UrlSegmentGroup([], {}),
       /** The query params of the URL */
-      public queryParams: Params,
+      public queryParams: Params = {},
       /** The fragment of the URL */
-      public fragment: string|null) {}
+      public fragment: string|null = null) {
+    if (NG_DEV_MODE) {
+      if (root.segments.length > 0) {
+        throw new RuntimeError(
+            RuntimeErrorCode.INVALID_ROOT_URL_SEGMENT,
+            'The root `UrlSegmentGroup` should not contain `segments`. ' +
+                'Instead, these segments belong in the `children` so they can be associated with a named outlet.');
+      }
+    }
+  }
 
   get queryParamMap(): ParamMap {
     if (!this._queryParamMap) {