[NPV]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Starting tomorrow morning to Bangalore. After Oragadam, is the Google maps route okay to use to join just before Kanchipuram (Uthukaadu, Puthagaram, Murukanthangal) or should I take Oragadam to Sunguvarchathiram road (SH120) to join the highway?

Are you trying to avoid directly joining the highway from the Oragadam industrial estate road near Sriperumbudur ? (to avoid the road widening work that’s in progress in that section upto Kanchipuram)

[Makin Rulesz]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Starting tomorrow morning to Bangalore. After Oragadam, is the Google maps route okay to use to join just before Kanchipuram (Uthukaadu, Puthagaram, Murukanthangal) or should I take Oragadam to Sunguvarchathiram road (SH120) to join the highway?

Yes, if you are driving after sunrise or before sunset. Roads are good all the way except for few potholes and narrow single lane after you divert just before Walajabad.

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by NPV

Are you trying to avoid directly joining the highway from the Oragadam industrial estate road near Sriperumbudur ? (to avoid the road widening work that’s in progress in that section upto Kanchipuram)

Not really, I am driving to Bangalore after 5 years. Since, Google maps suggested that route, I was slightly apprehensive as it seems quite small village roads. I am looking to avoid as much drive as possible between Poonamalle to Chennasamudram toll plaza. So any entry point near Kanchipuram is better as I am starting at Vandalur.

Originally Posted by Makin Rulesz

Yes, if you are driving after sunrise or before sunset. Roads are good all the way except for few potholes and narrow single lane after you divert just before Walajabad.

Thanks. I will take Google maps suggested route as I am planning to start around 7 AM so that I can avoid Krishnagiri - Hosur, Attibele rush to enter Bangalore in the evening.

[thanixravindran]

There is a massive traffic jam near Kurubarahalli after Krishnagiri toll due to an oil tanker accident. It will take hours to clear. I am already struck here for more than 30 minutes. Anyone coming this way, try Rayakottai route to enter Bangalore.

[prad]

I am so looking forward to the promised expressway. I would be traveling between Chennai and Bangalore this month, enroute to Mumbai, and am so not looking forward to the diversions and poor roads and traffic along the current highway...

Found a couple of meaningful updates - Bangalore Mirror and The Metro Guy

A summary of the update (7-Dec-2024):


While Mr Gadkari promised the opening of the Expressway by Jan 2024, it appears that it would probably only be a small stretch of Phase 3 between Bangarpet and Bethamangala. Hopefully Hoskote to Bethamangalla may open by March/April 2024. With STRR that is already open, this may make it feasible to reduce travel time by take the road via Velore, Gudiyatham to reach Tumkur (enroute to Mumbai)... We will soon find out!

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Innysta

Do you recommend this route against Chennasamudram-Vellore-Krishnagiri route? My starting point is Tambaram and destination is Mysore.

If you are comfortable driving 2-lanes, you can easily do it. Google Maps shows the route as 30 min slower with Kattankulathur SRM as the start/destination point. From Tambaram it would be more.

There are still 2 bypasses that would potentially improve travel time.

One surprise this route threw was Samalpatti underpass. One night drive, the underpass was closed and redirected via alternates. This was in October, so it could be due to rain water.

I've not done on busy days. Since Tiruvannamalai is an enroute town, it would be busier on full moon days, Kathigai Deepam.

[galahad]

Did Chennai (Anna Nagar, 25 Dec 11am) ->Electronic city enroute Mysore on my Ertiga ZDI+

May be this was post peak outgoing traffic, was not a major challenge after negotiating the Nerkundram - Maduravayal bypass.

Crossing Ambur was not a big ask, again could be due to the day and time I left.

Stopped over for food around 2pm at Sai Suprabatham Vaniyambadi and did a 1000rs fill to be able to make it to Mysore and use up Karnataka diesel rates .

On the return stretch (30 Decm 7am from Electronic City), usual heavy traffic until after Hosur.
Stopped for food at Murugan Idly before Kaveripakkam around 1015 hrs. I was sighing with the "back to overpriced Dosas and Idlies in TN.

Much before Sunguvarchatram, Gmaps suggested a diversion into a "Ramanujam road" that I happily took into Sipcot . These were small roads through farms, but was happy for this over the Sriperumbudur mess. Came out from Oragadam into the Vandalur ring road, where there was near static movement of vehicles from the top of the flyover to the Zoo junction (around 1215 pm). Took about 30 mins to get through this red line jam.
Had cops outside the Zoo trying to do their bit towards mitigating this jam. Further proceeded towards Mambakkam ,Polachery, OMR.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by galahad

Vandalur ring road, where there was near static movement of vehicles from the top of the flyover to the Zoo junction (around 1215 pm). Took about 30 mins to get through this red line jam.

There is a jam pretty much regularly on the Vandalur zoo junction below the flyover at the Mambakkam junction. There is just too much traffic converging at this point. To add more entropy, the Kilambakkam bus stand is open as well.

There are 2 choices if you want to workaround this in the future:

1. Take Tambaram-Camp Road-Agaram-Kovilanchery-Mambakkam
2. Continue towards SP Koil from Oragadam. Then on GST till Guduvancherry. From Guduvancherry take Nellikuppam Road all the way to Kottamedu where it intersects Thiruporur-Chengalpattu road. From Guduvancherry to Kayarambedu it is narrow with moderate traffic. From then on its a wide 2-lane MDR till Kottamedu.

[venkyhere]

Last few posts reminded of a long pending Q that I had, but had forgotten to ask :

Coming up to chennai from down south via GST road, how good is the chengalpettu-thiruporur + OMR, if the final destination is SRP tools junction ? Asking because
(i) I dont know how much OMR road's infamous 'congestion levels' is going to eat into any time advantage until then, with the ever morphing metro construction on it.
(ii) surface quality is completely unknown to me

Right now, biting through the pain of vandalur-perungulathur-tambaram(world famous unique on-the-road-itself-bus-stand)-chrompet-kamatchi hospital-thoraippakkam(OMR).

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

Coming up to chennai from down south via GST road, how good is the chengalpettu-thiruporur + OMR, if the final destination is SRP tools junction ?

The metro construction is happening from Thoraipakkam to Marina Mall. It negates any advantage you gain by taking Chengalpattu-Thiruporur. It works if your OMR destination is at the southern end like Navalur or Semmancherry.

A colleague commuting Semmanchery-Tidel takes the ECR for all starts after 730 am.

The Chengalpattu-Mahabs bypass-ECR-Tiruvanmiyur is still a good option. I tried it a month back.

I commute Vandalur-Perungalathur-Tambaram-Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam-SRP-Tidel daily the last 2 years. And I did the same driving Hosur to Taramani via Krishnagiri-Tiruvannamalai too. GST works because SP Koil to Perungalathur is a 8-laner now and atleast 3 lanes is usable on either side for the most part.

Irregardless of route, I would say plan your entry-exit timings is important. noon-230 pm (i.e after office traffic and before school bus traffic) sort of timings works. I doubt you can enter Vandalur/Chengalpattu by 6 am or after 9 pm.

Trick with Tambaram junction is to stay on the rightmost lane on either side.

[arunramaswamy]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

Last few posts reminded of a long pending Q that I had, but had forgotten to ask :

Coming up to chennai from down south via GST road, how good is the chengalpettu-thiruporur + OMR, if the final destination is SRP tools junction ? Asking because
(i) I dont know how much OMR road's infamous 'congestion levels' is going to eat into any time advantage until then, with the ever morphing metro construction on it.
(ii) surface quality is completely unknown to me

Right now, biting through the pain of vandalur-perungulathur-tambaram(world famous unique on-the-road-itself-bus-stand)-chrompet-kamatchi hospital-thoraippakkam(OMR).

Why not take a diversion at Tambaram towards Tambaram -Velachery road and the reach SRP tools? The road is good and has lesser traffic.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by arunramaswamy

Why not take a diversion at Tambaram towards Tambaram -Velachery road and the reach SRP tools? The road is good and has lesser traffic.

It was pure coincidence I read your post while waiting at Kamatchi (Hospital) signal from Velachery side this evening.

And this is what it showed:



Would you really go straight spending 20 additional minutes via Pallikaranai-Medavakkam? And this is not one-off.

In the past, the only time I've seen comparable ETAs via Pallikaranai-Medavakkam is on Monday morning to work and Thursday-Friday night return to home when Tambaram junction gets busy. Even that is not happening now. I see 10 minutes slower, even at 710 am.

Blame it on Pallikaranai, Medavakkam metro construction and Camp Road junction traffic to a large extent.

[venkyhere]

Friends,

I'm having confusion regarding how to enter into "chittoor-route" when going from chennai to bangalore.
Attaching a screenshot of gmaps below, with colours denoting the different possible options, after coming out of chennasamudram toll plaza (black arrows denote the staring and finishing points on this screenshot).

1. Purple is the only one which has to encounter a railway crossing, others have a flyover, so I am assuming purple is a no-no (correct me if I'm wrong).
2. Red is the one I would prefer, however google is simply not allowing it, asking to use the blue option; is gmaps simply being obtuse or is that the truth ?
3. Under what circumstance are green/pink better than red ?
4. If indeed red is not possible, is blue (big detour) worth it, compared to green/pink ?
5. Between green and pink, which is better ?

[rejika]

When I just checked now, gmap is showing the green option. So may it was a temporary diversion when you checked ? I am driving to Chennai from Bangalore ( KR Puram) tomorrow and back on Saturday and planning to take the Chittoor route.

[Makin Rulesz]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

Friends,

I'm having confusion regarding how to enter into "chittoor-route" when going from chennai to bangalore.
2. Red is the one I would prefer, however google is simply not allowing it, asking to use the blue option; is gmaps simply being obtuse or is that the truth ?

Red is the route I always take and there was no restrictions when I took it 2 weeks back. Below is from my timeline on 22nd Dec