[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by shantanumishra

The bypass is actually completely built and usable. The only item pending is the ramp to climb it, if coming from Mysore side, hence, you need to take this "Cheat Road"

Hope this helps

So when coming from Bangalore side , is the ramp (crossing the railway tracks) to get on to the Mandya bypass open and rhe cheat route is only needed when coming from Mysore?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

So when coming from Bangalore side , is the ramp (crossing the railway tracks) to get on to the Mandya bypass open and rhe cheat route is only needed when coming from Mysore?

Yes. As of last Friday 13 Jan my friends and I (3 car convoy) completely bypassed Mandya on the way out from Bangalore to Mysore, using the expressway and flyover system throughout. On the return journey I had to use the ‘cheat road’.

[shantanumishra]

Originally Posted by rajarsi

As far as I know there is no exit/entry planned between the start and end of the expressway as of now so it seems you can not exit or entry from the towns/cities between Bangalore and Mysore officially. But all these might change in future if NHAI decides to create these entry/exit points.

Not Exactly, All the major cities in between Bangalore and Mysore have exit ramps from the Expressway, they are already clearly marked and one can use it. I am sure Entry Ramps also exist (cant confirm since havent used one or seen one yet).

So, basically, all major towns between BLR and MYS have clearly marked entry/exits to the Expressway

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Yes. As of last Friday 13 Jan my friends and I (3 car convoy) completely bypassed Mandya on the way out from Bangalore to Mysore, using the expressway and flyover system throughout. On the return journey I had to use the ‘cheat road’.

This is correct. No need to divert anywhere except couple of places on service road from BLR to MYS.

On the return Journey, the only "Cheat Road" is the one near Mandya, rest everywhere, its the main expressway and then couple of service roads,

This is as latest as Tuesday, 17th Jan

[goandude]

Returned from Mysore this morning. Left the ring road junction at 10 and was at NICE road turn off at 1145. Very sedate driving. Took the "cheat road" as so well explained above and bypassed Mandya completely. Had to wait 5 mins at the railway crossing but that was a small price to pay for the luxury of missing the Mandya traffic.
Saw a couple of vehicles driving in opposite direction in the right lane of the carriageway the one we were on, towards Bangalore.

[shankar.balan]

This morning 21 Jan. Dad and me. Heading to Ooty. The Thar. Left Blr (Kanteerava) at 0530 hrs.
The Expressway is perfect but at Mandya they push you off so that you have to go through town. And then all the way past Pandavapura.
So It is a long detour and we end up spending 20 to 30 odd minutes. Then back on the expressway past Srirangapatnam and off the expressway again to get to Swad restaurant. We reached Swad restaurant at 720am.
Never went past 100kmph. Cruise control! Good fuel efficiency too as per the MID in the Thar! Ive never seen such numbers in these 2 years of ownership!
But this of course fluctuates depending on the surface and steadiness of cruising etc.
Of course traffic is largely disciplined but there are those lane hoggers and lights-free trucks!
Notwithstanding all the announcements, considering the road condition and the pending work, I would be pleasantly surprised if they are able to open this expressway in full, before the end of April 2023.
I will be happy to be proven wrong!

[anandhsub]

Planning a trip to Bandipur and want to stop at Bidadi for breakfast. How much of a detour off the expressway would it be?

This would be my first time on the expressway.

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

Planning a trip to Bandipur and want to stop at Bidadi for breakfast. How much of a detour off the expressway would it be?

This would be my first time on the expressway.

There is hardly any difference in distance between the old road towards Bidadi and the bypass. There will be bit of traffic till the Bidadi industrial area.

[tharian]

Looks like the Mandya bypass is open in the Mysore - Bangalore direction. I approached it via the railway gate route, but after entering the expressway I noticed a bunch of vehicles approaching from behind over the bridge.
I did notice the barricade, but I guess there is a gap through which vehicles are using it now.

Point to note is that there are few vehicles that are using the bypass expressway from the Bangalore - Mysore side and they drive on the same side as the vehicles heading to Bangalore. It is a recipe for disaster as most of them won't be aware of the two way traffic on the same side.

[anandhsub]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

There is hardly any difference in distance between the old road towards Bidadi and the bypass. There will be bit of traffic till the Bidadi industrial area.

Yes. The question is how easy it is to get on to the expressway from Bidadi. The maps shows there is a clear exit from the Mysore->Bangalore section into the old highway at Bidadi, but there is no similar entry from Bidadi into the Bangalore-Mysore section of the expressway.



EDIT: It does look like the old Mysore road will merge with the expressway about 6 kms from Bidadi somewhere near Rasta Cafe

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

Yes. The question is how easy it is to get on to the expressway from Bidadi. The maps shows there is a clear exit from the Mysore->Bangalore section into the old highway at Bidadi, but there is no similar entry from Bidadi into the Bangalore-Mysore section of the expressway.

Attachment 2408593

Much easier than getting into old highway while driving towards Bangalore. After the Filter cafe on the left, there is an opening in the service road to join the expressway. I joined the expressway today using this entry point.

[anandhsub]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Much easier than getting into old highway while driving towards Bangalore. After the Filter cafe on the left, there is an opening in the service road to join the expressway. I joined the expressway today using this entry point.

Thanks a lot. I hope the NH authorities get into an agreement with Google and provide all the entry and exit info.

Google shows a 15 km detour to go back to the entrance of Bidadi to get on to the expressway hence my initial query.

[sandsun7]

Mysore MP Prathap Simha says on twitter that Mandya bypass is set to open in 2-3 days.

[HighRevving]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Never went past 100kmph. Cruise control! Good fuel efficiency too as per the MID in the Thar! Ive never seen such numbers in these 2 years of ownership!

In my Petrol AT, the first digit is always 7. The battle is for the digit after the decimal. I am pleasantly surprised to see the Thar showing such good fuel economy.

Originally Posted by anandhsub

Thanks a lot. I hope the NH authorities get into an agreement with Google and provide all the entry and exit info.

Google shows a 15 km detour to go back to the entrance of Bidadi to get on to the expressway hence my initial query.

Attachment 2408600

Unless there is a pressing need to eat the famous Bidadi thatte idly, I would recommend continuing on the expressway and reaching Mysore. There is a lot of traffic between Bangalore and Bidadi especially after 6:30AM and it would take away the fun if you had to reach the 6-lane stretch with a lot of traffic. Also, I say this because you will save a lot of time if you leave early in the morning and reach Mysore without stopping as the overall travel time will be significantly much lesser; less than 2 hours I am thinking.

Originally Posted by balenoed_

So then I suggest you take the road once, before speculating whatever you have mentioned in your post.

there is no bottle neck on Kengeri NICE as such to be worried about considering the overall advantages.

So I drove on this road yesterday to reach Mysore.

I left home around 6AM, at least half hour later than I planned and reached the Kengeri flyover by 6:45. Being the weekend, everyone who had the Saturday off and money for fuel was on this road. There was no serious bottleneck as such, but the traffic was a bit too much for my liking. Once I entered the 6-lane stretch, it was all good. The roads are in very good condition despite those patches (wonder why already!) and I was covering town after town in no time.

When I crossed Maddur, I started noticing detours. There was one before Mandya and the next one actually took me into the town. The speed breakers at the intersections on the service road are quite steep and I was praying for my Bimmer's underbelly every time. Then the expressway started again, only for a KM or so. And then again, for a KM. In total there were 4 service lane detours and the worst was near Amaravathi before entering Mandya town. Someone was trying to enter the service road from the wrong side and made everyone wait for good 15-20 minutes.

After Mandya, the expressway is a breeze. I was amazed to suddenly see the Manipal junction in Mysore all of a sudden. I have commuted this route for decades and had stopped taking it for the past 6 years or so, choosing the more convenient Bellur Cross route. I have to say, this is a real game-changer for Mysore and the towns in between. I would love to take this route again, but only after this Mandya mess is sorted out. A lot of people do not take the detour to service road and instead go onto the expressway on the wrong side where it is complete - this in my opinion is the most dangerous part of the road right now.

https://youtu.be/sfDT1e5adzA

In this video, Pratap Simha says the Mandya bypass will be open anytime now, will have to wait and see when that really happens.

[MCR]

Mandya bypass is now open for traffic. Bangalore-Mysore should be bliss to drive going forward.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by MCR

Mandya bypass is now open for traffic. Bangalore-Mysore should be bliss to drive going forward.

Thats good.
Am planning a trip. Tomorrow to Sunday. Nilgiris.
Will need to go via Mysore. So the Expressway will be welcome.
Basis your post it seems they have speeded up the completion of this since last weekend when I drove that road and it wasnt complete.