[WD-42]

Originally Posted by androdev

I will be exiting NICE road to join Mysore road - though I haven't taken this route in a long time. At what point (coming from Bangalore) will I enter the "expressway"? And at what point should I exit the expressway to enter Srirangapatna to reach railway station area? I tried to check google maps but it wasn't easy to differentiate between service road vs express way.

The "expressway" ramp starts just infront of ICFAI business school, just before Rajarajeshwari Hospital & Medical College, after Kadamba Hotel, about 3/4 of a km after NICE road.

The exit to Srirangapatna was not marked and I missed the exit. Since I expected signage for the exit to be installed I had not used Google Maps. My reccomendation is to use Google Maps to get the exit. Caveat being like you mentioned, Google Maps is still confused as to which part is the service road and which part is the highway. On multiple occasions it directed us to the service road instead of the "expressway". My suggestion is to keep Google Maps on just as an indicator/warning and then rely on your judgement to exit the expressway.

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

Pros :

Cons :

Travelled from Bangalore to Mysore and back the week of Feb 7-10, 2023.

I echo Nirmal's thoughts 100%

I take issue with primarily three points:

1. Exits and On-Ramps: The design is not just horrible, but plain dangerous. Feeder roads join the expressway perpendicularly and as such just dump their traffic on. Traffic then in typical callous fashion proceeds across the highway at near perpendicular angle to join the fast lane. See the diagram below:
   
   
   
2. Terrible signage placement: The exit signage for Bidadi for example is placed AT the exit. I observed many vehicles braking suddenly (including skidding) and then reversing to take the exit simply because the signage was placed AT the exit and didn't give them enough forewarning to be able to plan and slow down for the exit. Similar dangerous placement of the signage all along.
3. The span of the bridge sections are extremely short, and the gap between the expansion joints large, making the ride bumpy. Most sections also change direction acutely which coupled with the bumpy section and suddenly narrowing from 3 to ~2.5 lanes is a recipe for people to lose control of their vehicles.

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Journey from Bangalore Nice Road Junction to Manipal Hospital (erstwhile Columbia Asia) took me about 1.5 hrs on a Tuesday afternoon (entered expressway at 11:25 am, exited near Mysore at 12:53 a.m.).

Joruney back to Bangalore between those same checkpoints took again 1.5 hrs, discounting the 1 hr stuck in traffic at Budanoor as reported by above by HTC.

____________________


The expressway while time and fuel efficient has also robbed us of the charm of travelling between Bangalore and Mysore.

I used to enjoy the changing landscapes between Bangalore and Mysore, the towns that we passed, stopping for breakfast at Kamat Lokaruchi in Ramnagara and watching the Mulberry farms as we drive past, stopping for Vada in Maddur, watching and occasionally stopping by for toys & figurines in Channapatna, the sugarcane (juice) in Mandya, and the tender coconuts around Srirangapatna and Mysore. I missed the signboards that heralded these places, Welcome to Silk City Ramnagara, Welcome to Toy City Channapatna, Welcome to Sugar City Mandya, these now seem of an era gone past.

The expressway seems clinical, it feels like a portal between two places, more akin to flying, you are transported from one place to the next in barely an instant with no care or idea of the lands that you have passed, the rich culture, tradition lost.

While I may pine nostalgic, I do not long for the rowdy traffic in Channapatna, the blockades, and traffic jams in Mandya, or the 3 hours or 4+ hours on weekends that it took to travel between Bangalore and Mysore.

[balenoed_]

Today did a bike ride on the expressway. Infact saw many bike groups on the road. Guess people want to do one ride before the restrictions come in place for the two wheelers, just like me.

But I am not sure how practical it is to prevent bikes getting on the e.way. There were umpteen places where there are ways to get on to the highway, the ones made by demolishing the fences, by locals. And that is going to continue. Even one can get on to the highway from each of those town entry points. Who/How that is going to be stopped.

And I was primarily exploring by riding through the service road. And it is not true that you can go on service road parallel to the highway all the way. There are no service roads for railway overbridges and some other smaller bridges. So you need to divert towards the old highway and find some way to come to the service road again. And there were some places where service road work is not complete, nor looking like is in progress.

[arun_josie]

This is my quickest drive to Mysore, 1hour and 22Mins(at speeds ranging 100-120Kmph). Its from BG road entry on the NICE road to the Mysore ring road signal. Since it was very early in the morning, the traffic was less plus its only 3-4 diversions now.



During the return, the traffic was heavy and the diversions were more. It took me 1H and 30M from Mysore ring road signal to NICE road. Then I got stuck in a 45mins traffic jam on the NICE road due to the ongoing work.

[loki]

I left on Thursday Morning. Took me 1hr 10 mins from Kadamba (NICE junction) to Columbia Asia signal (Mysore Ring Road). Returned earlier today and the same stretch took 1hr 30 mins due to the Sunday evening traffic.

Once all the sections are complete and there are no diversions, 1hr to 1hr 20 mins should be easily doable by anyone with steady cruising speeds (under or at the limit).

[gauravdgr8]

In the past 4 months, have driven on the Bangalore - Mysore expressway multiple times. Each time with a varied level of work completion. However recently, just before Gadkari checked on the work, did Ooty-Bangalore. Took the Mysore Ring Road this time as was alone and didn't want to stop for food. Started at 8:30am from the Ring Road junction and reached Sarjapur Novotel at 11:40am.

It took exactly an hour from Manipal hospital to Nice road entry, post which the strict 80 limit starts.

One piece of engineering with excellent scenary around

[Kaumad]

So, here is my question.
All the traffic from BLR towards MYS will come flying down the expressway without any hindrance. What will happen at the Columbia Asia signal? Are we going to see long jams at this junction? Clearly, there dont seem to be any flyover plans at this junction.

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by Kaumad

What will happen at the Columbia Asia signal? Are we going to see long jams at this junction? Clearly, there dont seem to be any flyover plans at this junction.

Unfortunately yes. And we have already started seeing this during peak season/weekends. We discussed this a few post earlier. The time saved is going to be spent in this signal, more or less same with this side as well.

Clear short sightedness from the designers on this part. All they had to do was to also plan a flyover at that jn along with this.

[shantanumishra]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Unfortunately yes. And we have already started seeing this during peak season/weekends. We discussed this a few post earlier. The time saved is going to be spent in this signal, more or less same with this side as well.

Clear short sightedness from the designers on this part. All they had to do was to also plan a flyover at that jn along with this.

This signal has always existed even when the new E-way wasnt built and people were using the old highway, not sure, how will the new E-way bring in more public,

In my view, That bottleneck is irrelevant to the new E-way, Yes, govt could have built the E-way around it, but then that junction belongs to MUDA and not to NHAI and we all know how different govt. bodies work with each other...

[Kaumad]

Originally Posted by shantanumishra

This signal has always existed even when the new E-way wasnt built and people were using the old highway, not sure, how will the new E-way bring in more public,

The best analogy I can think of is this.
Imagine the junction to be a valve. The old highway was a small pipe connected to the valve. The new expressway is now a large pipe, connected to the same valve. Now imagine the back-pressure when the valve is closed.

[goandude]

There seems to be some sort of work going on at the Mandya bypass. Gmaps suggests the old BM road to be few minutes shorter and the bypass is in yellow color. Anyone traveling today could enlighten us.
I'm driving tomorrow morning thus the interest.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Kaumad

All the traffic from BLR towards MYS will come flying down the expressway without any hindrance. What will happen at the Columbia Asia signal?

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Unfortunately yes. The time saved is going to be spent in this signal

There is a separate free left turn lane at the Columbia Asia signal when coming from Bangalore side, exiting to the clockwise carriageway of MRR. It is rather a band-aid job right now but hopefully they will develop it into a good 2-lane exit ramp.

There are similar free-left turn lanes at all the four corners of this junction. You are SOL if you have to take a turn that crosses any carriageway though (say, the return direction, or going into Mysore city).

[NPV]

Are toll plazas operational on the expressway currently?

How is the traffic on weekends ?

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by NPV

Are toll plazas operational on the expressway currently?

How is the traffic on weekends ?

I traveled on last Saturday (11-Feb) and didn't see the toll plaza operational or anything happening around it. On normal weekends, there isn't any trouble, the expressway is able to take the load. Have to watch out for the long weekends, especially due to incomplete stretches on the highway.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by NPV

Are toll plazas operational on the expressway currently?

How is the traffic on weekends ?

Its free for all, you can travel in any lane ,any direction you choose - switch on the headlights if its the wrong way

Expressway is not complete yet, so rush hour traffic bottlenecks will drive you mad, takes away all the time you saved elsewhere.

Enter before 6AM and you`d agree that its time to increase speed limits, currently its set at 100 kmph, cruise control ready.

[goandude]

Traveled yesterday to Mysore. Left home at CV Raman Nagar at 6:20 entered expressway at 7 and reached my place in MORR at 8:50.
No tolls.
Some cars at 130/140 kmph and JCB at 20 kmph make for a deadly combination. Moreover, 2 wheelers take up left lane.
One of the diversions comes up very suddenly this is after approximately 80 kms from start from Bangalore.
Also encountered fog near Srirangapatna.