I did Bangalore-Sholinghur trip last weekend (23-24 March).
I live near C V Raman Nagar in Bangalore and hence my route was Bangalore-Mulbagal bypass-Palamner-Chittoor-Ponnai-Sholinghur. This distance is about 232kms one-way. My car is Zest-Petrol.
Good friend BHPian ravib had gone to Sholinghur in February. His route was Bangalore-Palamaner-Gudiyattam-Katpadi-Vellore-Sholinghur. His full post can be found
here (Bangalore - Chennai - Bangalore : Route Queries).
This post is to inform people about the current status of NH75 between KA-AP border and Chittoor.
Overall - this route this ok for Bangalore-Tirupati trips during daytime on any car. Night journeys is better avoided as of now. If unavoidable, it is still possible if the driver is careful around diversions and with lower cruising speeds.
We started on 23rd March around 7am from our home. Had a breakfast stop at Hotel Nandi Grand just after Hoskote. Started after break around 8.30am.
Nangali Toll plaza: 9.45am
Palamner town: 10.15am
Mogili town: 10.30am
Time spent at Mogileeswara swamy temple: 10.30-11.25 am
Bangarupalayam town: 11.40am
Chittoor town: 12.10pm
Ponnai: 1.00pm
Sholinghur: 1.30pm
Some pictures to give an idea about current status of NH75 between Nangali (near KA-AP border) to Bangarupalayam.
Just entering AP
Border checkpost busy with elections nearing
We were told to open glovebox and show. Since I was travelling with parents and kid, they wave us away pretty quickly. Other cars were told to open boot, luggage etc.
Welcome to AP
A nearly completed bridge just after entering AP
Thathireddipalle (Punganur cross): 1st incomplete bridge
Regulars/ old timers will know how narrow and tricky this part was earlier. With trucks, village traffic, speed-breakers etc.
Decent service road at Thathireddipalle
Overbridge is getting constructed at a fast pace
A diversion before Palamner
A diversion at the place where road from Kuppam- V Kota Road joins NH75, just before Palamner town
Some places have decent service road
Service road is bad at some other places
Just before Palamner town. Region is parched. Rains would be welcome.
DON'T TAKE Palamner bypass even though it is enticing!
It is incomplete and has some horrible sections. I went through town during onward journey on Saturday. Was forced to take bypass due to election campaign inside town on Sunday. Mixture of good, bad and very ugly sections.
Exiting Palamner town and joining NH75 bypass
Good roads before Mogili town
Marked diversions before Mogili
Remember that narrow, steep bend in the ghats before Mogili in the past? Loaded trucks used to really struggle going uphill
It now looks like this! Pale shadow of the past!
Mogili bypass is nearly ready
We went into Mogili town. Unplanned visit to Mogileeswara temple. Remember this town had lot of traffic passing through it earlier. Now with the bypass motorable, there was
zero traffic inside the town. Not sure whether villagers are happy about less traffic or unhappy over loss to local economy.
Mogileeswara Temple timings and other details
Some bad service road sections between Mogili and Bangarupalayam town
Bangarupalayam bypass is not ready yet. Traffic is diverted inside town.
Roads near and inside Bangarupalayam town have lots of bad patches. Earlier, I used to like road in this town over Palamner. Now road inside Palamner is comparatively better.
My wife who was shooting pics till Bangarupalayam, dozed-off after this. So I don't have pics of the section between Bangarupalayam and Chittoor. But its mostly similar. The entry to bypass road towards Tirupati can be easily missed due to construction activity around here. Since I was heading to Sholinghur, I went through Chittoor town. Chittoor has lot of small but unmarked speed-breakers. Better to drive around cautiously, at the max in 3rd gear.
Off-topic: Status of Roads between Chittoor-Ponnai-Sholinghur
Approx. time needed to cover this distance of about 43 kms is 80 minutes.
It is easy to miss the place where road forks in two: left towards GDNellore; right towards Ponnai.
Roads are ok to good inside AP. Roads once you enter TN are very good. Overall, no problems for any car. No restaurants or places for bio-break. Even petrol stations are minimal.
Ponnai-Sholingur section
Epilogue:
Even though the widening of NH75 through AP is a welcome move (particularly for truckers), I am going to miss driving in 2-laned ghat section near Palamner, where one had to overtake big-trucks carefully. Also, I am going to miss those big trees providing green canopy such as this one near Sholinghur.....
The environmental price we pay for infrastructure and development.....
![Bangalore to Tirupati : Route Queries-1treecut_20190323_101043.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/route-travel-queries/1862700d1688322154t-bangalore-tirupati-route-queries-1treecut_20190323_101043.jpg)