[BlackMambaXX]

I got a call from work yesterday around lunch time that I had to urgently reach Annanagar, chennai today.
First thought taking the morning Shadabpti express, but the though of getting up at 4 am and reach Majestic before 6am all the way from whtiefield irked me. ram
So, I immideatly packed my bags and left in my Harrier.
I started at 4pm from Whitefield. I took the Whitefield-Hoskotte-Ranipet-Kanchipuram-Sriperembuttur-Maduravoyal-Koyembed-AnnaNager Route.
I reached chennai at 9:15 pm with on 10 min stop at mcdonalds drive through and one fuel stop at Ranipet.
The Road from Bangalore all the way to chittoor is newly surfaced and excellent. It was a quick drive till Ranipet. There is a long single lane road while approaching ranipet but not much traffic. There is a detour inside Ranipet which google maps doesnt reflect and better ask locals before you get lost inside.
Surprisingly low traffice while approaching chennai at around 8:30pm. All in all 5:15 is by far my best timing on this route. Probably the timing when I left and the time I reached help me beat both Bangalore and Chennai Traffic. Also the fact that I was alone meant less stops and time wasted at the food stops was low. All in all an excellent drive and probably took less time than taking the train.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by PixelPenguin

Please suggest a good pit stop between Vaniyambadi and Hosūr on the left(Chennai Bangalore) for snacks, coffee and clean restroom.

There are many good restaurants immediately after Krishnagiri toll plaza.
Saravana Bhavan, Sree Saravana Bhavan, Mangalam etc.
(In future, do mention if you are looking for non-veg or veg-only type restaurants)

[PixelPenguin]

Originally Posted by srvm

There are many good restaurants immediately after Krishnagiri toll plaza.
Saravana Bhavan, Sree Saravana Bhavan, Mangalam etc.
(In future, do mention if you are looking for non-veg or veg-only type restaurants)

Thanks for your suggestions. Well, I am just looking for a tea break and clean restrooms.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by PixelPenguin

Thanks for your suggestions. Well, I am just looking for a tea break and clean restrooms.

In that case the last one on the left (before the Krishnagiri toll) is Mangalam and perfect for a tea/coffee break. The restrooms are decent, but you also have the option of using Lavato next door where you get premium and sparkling clean and hygienic restrooms for a nominal price of Rs.20, I wil recommend this especially if you travel with family.

[PixelPenguin]

Originally Posted by NPV

In that case the last one on the left (before the Krishnagiri toll) is Mangalam and perfect for a tea/coffee break. The restrooms are decent, but you also have the option of using Lavato next door where you get premium and sparkling clean and hygienic restrooms for a nominal price of Rs.20, I wil recommend this especially if you travel with family.

Thanks for sharing the info about Lavato. My family will appreciate the clean restrooms. I am also thinking whether I should stop at the nearby ‘Hotel Surya Complex’ that has Sree Saravana Bhavan. Not sure if it makes sense to stop there just for tea. One advantage is it has Zeon fast charger though charging is not required to reach my destination. Your thoughts?

[venki.bala]

We are attending a conference at Sheraton Grand Whitefield. I am planning to take chitoor route from Chennai. From Hoskote which is best route to reach the Venue?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by PixelPenguin

Thanks for sharing the info about Lavato. My family will appreciate the clean restrooms. I am also thinking whether I should stop at the nearby ‘Hotel Surya Complex’ that has Sree Saravana Bhavan. Not sure if it makes sense to stop there just for tea. One advantage is it has Zeon fast charger though charging is not required to reach my destination. Your thoughts?

Sree Saravana Bhavan will be on your left just after the Krishnagiri toll in the Chennai-Bangalore direction.

[Rocky_Balboa]

Originally Posted by venki.bala

We are attending a conference at Sheraton Grand Whitefield. I am planning to take chitoor route from Chennai. From Hoskote which is best route to reach the Venue?

Taking the Whitefield-Hoskote road, by joining the service road after Hoskote Toll, is the best option.

[Nimz]

Hello bhpians

My cousin is making his first road trip from chennai to Bangalore with my aunt. Hence two pit stops are mandatory.

I have suggested the Vellore, Krishnagiri, Attibele route just for convenience. (We prefer the Chittor route and have only one pit stop).

For pit stops:

I have recommended Murugan Idli shop on the left side only
. https://maps.app.goo.gl/KTtizrqFMjgAmqxh7

Question - is it open these days? I heard that due to road words it has become inaccessible. If this does not work could you please suggest a good, clean veg option for breakfast on the left side only from Chennai to Bangalore.

Pitstop 2 - Hotel Surya complex after Krishnagiri toll. That I understand has no challenges.

Thank you in advance.

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by Nimz

Hello bhpians


I have recommended Murugan Idli shop on the left side only
. https://maps.app.goo.gl/KTtizrqFMjgAmqxh7

Question - is it open these days? I heard that due to road words it has become inaccessible. If this does not work could you please suggest a good, clean veg option for breakfast on the left side only from Chennai to Bangalore.

Hotel Alankar at Ratnagiri is only about half an hour drive further down the road from Murugan Idli Shop. May be that could be a good option in case Murugan Idli Shop is inaccessible, though I remember them operational and accessible when I last crossed that stretch a couple of weeks back. https://goo.gl/maps/MxNSw572Pun8RUZx7

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Nimz

For pit stops:

I have recommended Murugan Idli shop on the left side only
. https://maps.app.goo.gl/KTtizrqFMjgAmqxh7

Question - is it open these days? I heard that due to road words it has become inaccessible. If this does not work could you please suggest a good, clean veg option for breakfast on the left side only from Chennai to Bangalore.

Pitstop 2 - Hotel Surya complex after Krishnagiri toll. That I understand has no challenges.

If you are starting early and are starting from South Chennai, you can easily take the Vandalur-Kanchi highways and there on to Sunguvarchatram. Once back on the Bangalore 4-lane you have options.

Firstly if you can follow what member Venky suggested, then you will land up right at the centre of Kanchi bypass. So from here you can either go few km back and head to either Saravana Bhavan or Upashana. Or you push forward drive all the way to Vellore. Before Vellore at Ratnagiri you have Alankar. It's a nice place to break.

For the second break point there are many decent places beyond Krishnagiri. The Hotel Surya complex is the best. You get many options.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by Nimz

For pit stops:

I have recommended Murugan Idli shop on the left side only
. https://maps.app.goo.gl/KTtizrqFMjgAmqxh7

Question - is it open these days? I heard that due to road words it has become inaccessible.

Yes very much accessible and it is still good.
Road works are 99% complete there and now Murugan idli shop is just right below a bridge, you should not climb the bridge to enter the restaurant.
A security guard will be asking you to redirect, so have to take the service road and within 50 metres is the gate to enter the restaurant and huge parking space.

Food is as usual like any other Murugan Idli shop standard, not bad and nothing great/awesome or excellent. Rest rooms are just okay.

I do usually stop here after tiring diversions all the way from Sriperumbudur to Kanchipuram to Chennasamudram toll. I stopped there in early February too and nothing to complaint about. So go for it.

-Ravi

[mah45]

This is what I hate about Google Maps.

Until yesterday when I was looking for the route to Chennasamudram toll it used to show via Kanchi bye-pass.
In fact the exact good road that Bhp-ian @venkyhere and others recommended.

But now it is asking to join the NH even before we reach Walajabad.
Don't understand on what basis it keeps changing recommendations.

[Secretariat]

The Chennasamudram-Poonamallee stretch has improved a fair bit since January. Craters have gone and even potholes are only a few and not of major concern. The diversions are all there, but traffic is flowing. A few sections are complete as are one or two bridges. I am now upgrading this section from "sheer torture" to "only painful" !

I suggest that we can go back to the usual routes - either via Sunguvarchathram - Oragadam or via Kundrathur for South Madras and straight on the highway for North Madras. Exploring the innards of Military Road/Kanchipuram or Thiruthani may not now be necessary. It's an acceptable , even if irritating drive . Of course, the perks of this section - kamikaze factory & college buses, sand lorries sandblasting your paint for free and cow carriers giving you a close up of the posterior of a cow and "blessing" your windshields , remain !

The one atrocity - the Saint-Gobain diversion on the Bangalore-Chennai direction remains as is, to ensure that we are provided with a true off road experience. If there are any Saint-Gobain employees reading this - you may want to get the company to lay this stretch in pure self interest; else your brand name will forever be tarnished

[ravib]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

The Chennasamudram-Poonamallee stretch has improved a fair bit since January.

Echoing similar sentiments like what Secretariat mentioned, here is my yesterday's drive update. Cross posting here for easy reference for the common road updates.

Drove from Bangalore to Pallavaram yesterday 27th Mar.

Started at 5 pm from C.V.Raman Nagar home and drove leisurely at 80 to 90 kmph speed and Reached Pallavaram at 11 pm, thus a D2D trip of 6 hours. This included a 15 minutes break in Bangarupalayam Nandi Plaza from 7.15 to 7.30 pm and then another 30 minutes dinner break from 9 pm to 9.30 pm at Murugan Idli shop on left side after Chennasamudram Toll plaza, so effect driving time of little over 5 hours and always at less than 100 kmph speed. Murugan Idli shop is now lower and below the road level, so you have to cross over the platform and take a sharp left turn to enter the parking area, so will be tricky and challenging for low GC vehicles to avoid any damages. Food is good like any other Murugan Idli shop, but service is not that good and they don't switch on AC for ventilation, which is very bad. It suffocates inside the restaurant.

Few changes since my last month trip in early Feb.

1) There are many new barricades between Hoskote to Kolar now and slows down traffic and need to handle the
2) Before Kolar lake bridge near Narasapura Radisson hotel on left side, (https://goo.gl/maps/tHSAi3fqnPeuxdUc6) a major diversion in both sides of Narasapura industrial area due to road construction work and slows down the traffic again, because we cannot take the bridge and have to drive in service road.
3) Once we enter AP concrete roads, the infamous bridge works are back leaving just one lane near median with not enough reflectors/marking, thus people suddenly swirling towards the right, because it is not expected. God knows how many times and how many days in the year they keep working on the bridge joints but still leaves a bad driving experience particularly in the AP bridges.
4) As mentioned in my last update, Bad roads before and after chittoor are not there, but just leaving only one lane per side and no further work happening. Its well tarred.
5) Ranipet diversion for bridge work seems to have progressed better than last time.
6) Once we cross chennasamudram toll, majority of the roads are completed till Kanchipuram. However, there is no lane marking, so difficult for people to judge as they don't know which lane they are driving, but no major complaints as such.
7) Kanchi to Sriperumbudur , lot of active work happening. Now they have constructed a major ~2 feet height divider wall for most part dividing the left side service road and the 3L main carriage way. So , its not easy to take left to Hotel Saravana Bhavan or Upashana hotel like earlier. Its relatively easy to Upashana with a mild left U turn , but we can expect that after the work is completed, we have to plan properly to exit to service road to enter these restaurants.
8) Due to this divider wall, many people started to drive in wrong side particularly 2W and some autos.
9) As mentioned in my last trip, the major deviation with very bad service road is after Sunguvarchatram near Polyhose factory with deep potholes. Again slows down traffic badly.
10) In short, between Kanchi to Sriperumbudur is "not very bad" and doable but have to be careful and drive more carefully because of patchy and bumpy roads.
11) Once we take Sriperumbudur to Kundrathur road, for first 1 km or so, as usual the roads are not that great with some potholes and watch out for it. After that for another 14 kms till Kundrathur the road condition is very good, barring one or two abrupt sudden pothole. Need to keep an extra eye to avoid it.
12) Kundrathur to Pallavaram via Pammal is as usual , with smooth speed breakers and curvy roads, nothing different. However, watchout for cattle on the road.