[ninjatalli]

Guys,
I'm trying to get a clear understanding of which part of the expressway has been completed and is accessible and which sections are still WIP and have diversions. This thread is filled with water logging posts and other matters so it isn't clear.

Here's my understanding - please correct wherever wrong

Part 1. NICE road exit - Ramnagara - Channapatna - Maddur (/Nidagatta): Expressway completed
Part 2. Maddur - Mandya - Mysore ring road (/Columbia Asia hospital): in progress with multiple diversions

Part 1. takes about 45mins - 1hr while Part 2. could take from 1hr - 1.5hr depending on traffic and other factors.

Considering that the planned completion date of Oct'22 is clearly a lost cause, is there a new date the officials are quoting in public?

Edit: This dated article states Jan'23 which I guess might be further extended.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Here's my understanding - please correct wherever wrong

Part 1. NICE road exit - Ramnagara - Channapatna - Maddur (/Nidagatta): Expressway completed
Part 2. Maddur - Mandya - Mysore ring road (/Columbia Asia hospital): in progress with multiple diversions

Your understanding is correct. Apart from a couple of diversions, the first section is open all the way to Maddur outskirts. Even in the 2nd section there are large parts complete.

Don't think anyone is quoting a date now. As parts get complete they are opened up. Even on the first stretch, the elevated stretch from NICE to kumbalagodu I think was formally opened both ways today only. Mandya bypass , as the posts above indicate, seems to be unofficially open one way.

The big pending ones are the Maddur elevated bypass and Srirangapatna bypass apart from Mandya. The first 2 looked to be close to completion and I assume should open in the next 2-3 months. That would make it almost complete.

[Caramba]

While this road will be good once fully functional, I think this is currently one of the most dangerous roads thanks to current users.

What you will encounter (a) autos and tata ace doing 30KMPH in the extreme right lane (b) Two wheelers crawling along in the middle of the other two lanes (c) people driving perfectly with two wheels in either lane (d) the professional racers who will be swerving around all of these at 120+ (e) the bonus target who will scoot across the road on two wheeler or on foot where the fence is not properly installed.

Also the road quality, per my completely unqualified knowledge, is suspect. There are a lot of loose stones on some parts of the surface and in some places there are already undulations forming from use. Reminds me of BBMP roads in Bangalore, the really comfy ones which you just sink into

[mayukh42]

Went on a long drive to see what the fuss is about. It is a 10 lane (6 + 4 service lanes) road in the making , Chittoor-Tirupati highway has the closest resemblance as of today.

While there are several expressways being built across the country, some of them like this are more valuable than others IMO. Gone is the 120 km long food court, and those speed breakers in sets of 6. Mysore Road is back in list of options for those using NH75 to Coorg or NH44 to Ooty (i.e. me).

There seems to be a greater emphasis on underpasses rather than flyovers. I think this is the reason for water logging in recent history, also local vehicles will have to climb the gradient at lower speeds, burning more fuel than the fast vehicles which could use the already available momentum.

Today the onward stretch was blocked near the railway bridge near Bidadi, so had to take the old highway there. The old surface is broken at many places, and cars/ bikes alike try to evade the potholes which can become deadly in the blink of an eye. The surface of newly built sections are good but not great, and if the deterioration is because of rains within such a short time, it will degrade further.

The public still seem to yet have to come to terms with "expressway" though. An auto was occupying the fast lane and sounding sad trying to keep up. A guy walked his broken down scooter from 1st to 3rd lane with a truck driver helplessly praying that his brakes work. His prayer was answered, but the highway can really frequent news headlines if the localites do not respect safe driving or the authorities do not make access controlled enough.

Ramanagara bypass actually skirts the "Sholay" hills, making it a really scenic highway. In the time it took earlier to cross a signal in town, one can reach Maddur. Eagerly waiting for rest of the bypasses to complete.

[jkrishnakj]

I had last used this highway a couple of months back. I’m off to Melukote now and am tempted to take this, as opposed to the Nelamangala-Kunigal-Nagamangala route.

[varunasok]

This weekend, I intend to visit Mysore. What breakfast options are available on this new expressway? We used to have it at Kamat in Ramanagara.

[mayukh42]

Originally Posted by varunasok

This weekend, I intend to visit Mysore. What breakfast options are available on this new expressway? We used to have it at Kamat in Ramanagara.

1. There is a new food court just after Channapatna bypass ends: https://goo.gl/maps/rE9MVchMC4DhPnkT7

This is comparable to Kamat Lokaruchi during old days in terms of time it takes to reach.

2. If the onward stretch is blocked near Bidadi railway bridge, there is also A2B on old highway: https://goo.gl/maps/HrAW4kA2kVB1eRk68

[sachinpk]

Need to make a Bangalore-Mysore-Bangalore trip during this coming week end. Planning for an early morning start like at around 5:00Hrs. What would be the better route to take?
1. Ramanagara-Mandya-Srirangapatna-Mysore
2. Kanakapura-Malavalli-Bannur-Mysore

This is considering all the road work, traffic movements etc.

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Need to make a Bangalore-Mysore-Bangalore trip during this coming week end. Planning for an early morning start like at around 5:00Hrs. What would be the better route to take?
1. Ramanagara-Mandya-Srirangapatna-Mysore
2. Kanakapura-Malavalli-Bannur-Mysore

This is considering all the road work, traffic movements etc.

Please take the regular route i.e. through Ramnagar, Mandya. You will reach Maddur in no time with the bypass and expressway. Rest of the route is also in good condition. You will be able to reach Mysore by 7:30AM with a 5AM start.

[masterChief007]

I went to Mysore this weekend, expressway is completed in the stretch BLR-Maddur, afterwards the road has a lot of diversions. Since the whole drive wasn't peaceful enough for my liking I will rate only BLR-Maddur stretch as excellent (speed limit itself is 100kph), and the rest of the path will not be a happy experience as of now. However did see large sections of the expressway post maddur blocked off maybe due to lane marking finishing touches. But maybe another 4-6 months one needs to wait for full stretch to be operational till Mandya.

[shankar.balan]

Having come to a Wedding in Coorg I used the Expressway today. We left home at 0530. NICE Road till Mysore Road Exit. One gets straight on to the Expressway. Brilliant drive all the way to Maddur where there is a diversion and again at Mandya. The rest of the way is perfectly controlled. Good road. Light traffic today.
We reached the Columbia Asia Manipal Junction at Mysore by 8am. Never exceeding 110kmph this turned out the perfect driving speed and we have made excellent time too.

[binand]

Extract from an update I posted in the Bangalore-Calicut thread. Trip was on Monday 28/11.

BMEW is I think about a year away for completion. As soon as you turn from Columbia Asia signal you see this brilliant 6-lane road ahead of you, but that joy is short-lived; you are diverted within 1.5 km to a temporary road and need to stay there for the next 60-odd km (with short stretches of the EW accessible). You can see the Srirangapatna and Maddur bypasses separating but with no access to them.

For Mandya - I took the cheat road via the railway gate to access the bypass (documented in this thread, thanks!). The route through town was a solid red in Google Maps. I breezed past the city in less than 20 minutes, about 5 of which was due to the fact that the railway gate was closed. The bypass is also not open; the drive is actually via the service road. And it was so lonely I was scared it would end abruptly that I'd have to backtrack.

Beyond Maddur the second half of the EW is almost fully done (one underpass left, plus a couple of places where last-minute touchups are happening). This is brilliant but nearer to Bangalore you'd start wondering if 3 lanes each way is going to be sufficient given the traffic density. Also the short stretch from the EW end to the NICE entry ramp is in bad shape.

Timings: Didn't really track, but Fastag logs say 2.18pm at KN Hundy and 5.19pm at NICE exit (Hosur road). That is an almost even 3 hours for MRR+BMEW+NICE plus breaks totalling ~30 min in-between.

[shankar.balan]

I went for a wedding to Madikeri environs.
Bangalore. NICE road. Immediately hop on the Expressway. Miss all the chaos of Channapatna and Ramnagara and all.
Deviation at Maddur.
Deviation via Mandya.
Mysore Columbia Asia.
Turn right onto the ring road.
Hunsur. Periyapatna. Kushalnagara. Suntikoppa and Madikeri.
We left at 0530.
We were parked in Madikeri at 1000hrs.
One 40 min stop at Adigas before Periyapatna for breakfast.
Weekday. Less traffic.

Today we came back.
Madikeri-Chettalli 0930 to meet a friend.
0930-10 at friends place.
Left at 1015 from Chettalli through Maldare to Periyapatna and out.
Mysore ring road. Turn left at Columbia Asia Manipal.
There is no Expressway till after Maddur. Its all under construction but being a weekday it moved fast and there was less traffic.
We were at home at 1430.

Once the Expressway opens it will be a real boon.

[speedmiester]

My wife's cousin traveled to Mysore today afternoon and confirmed the opening of Maddur bypass.

Now only Mandya and Srirangaptna bypasses are left to be open.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

My wife's cousin traveled to Mysore today afternoon and confirmed the opening of Maddur bypass.

Yes, the bypass / flyover is open and I traveled on the stretch last Tuesday. I must tell you, it was real fun "flying" over Maddur.

I somehow felt the flyover is better constructed / finished than the one in Kumbalagodu. The expansion joints are a bit annoying though.