[whitewing]

Did a weekend run to Mysore, as others mentioned it was a breeze till Mandya in expressway. Post that even though there were some detours, traffic never felt crowded like earlier times. Even the Ring Road junction near columbia asia was not packed (started around 7.30 and reached Mysore by around 10.30 including a leisurely breakfast).

Return journey was a different ball game, had to go to a temple near KRS and unfortunately hit the BLR-MYS road around 6pm. It was crazy, unsafe drive. Since there were quite a few slow moving trucks (some of them engaging in their tortoise races), people were overtaking wherever there was space. Felt like they were go carting!
Unless there is strict enforcement of lane discipline and speed limits, major pile up waiting to happen.

Also, drove past an accident (in the channapattana/ramanagar bypass IIRC), looked like the victims were already shifted to hospital - in passing, noticed around 4 vehicles were involved. A black sedans (looked like a versa) trying to get on to the expressway from the service road using an unoffical break in the fencing was the worst affected. The drivers side was smashed up.

[rajarsi]

Went for a quick trip to Mysore and enjoyed the drive till Manya as the expressway is open till Mandya. The Mandya bypass is still not ready so had to go through the town. There was a big pile-up as the 3+2 lane on each side expressway fed into the original 2-lane highway plus the signals within the town.

As far as the expressway - it's just awesome to drive and I wish the heavy trucks stay on the left lane instead of blocking the rightmost lane as I saw in many instances.

Here's a speedup (8x) video from my dashcam. Date of the video is 23rd Dec 2022.

https://youtu.be/G0x551rOw9s

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by rajarsi

The Mandya bypass is still not ready so had to go through the town.

The service road of the Mandya Bypass is open for traffic but there is no proper diversion board kept yet. So it is easy to miss. After Amaravathi restaurant in Mandya, taking a right will take you to Mandya bypass, aka the service road of it. And it will join the old highway back after crossing a railway track.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

The service road of the Mandya Bypass is open for traffic but there is no proper diversion board kept yet. So it is easy to miss. After Amaravathi restaurant in Mandya, taking a right will take you to Mandya bypass, aka the service road of it. And it will join the old highway back after crossing a railway track.

Is it possible to take the service road both ways?

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by rajarsi

As far as the expressway - it's just awesome to drive and I wish the heavy trucks stay on the left lane instead of blocking the rightmost lane.

Here's a speedup (8x) video from my dashcam. Date of the video is 23rd Dec 2022. https://Youtu.be/G0x551rOw9s

In your entire video you too are using rightmost lane. Others are zooming past you from left side to overtake you. So, how is it right to blame only heavy vehicles?

Nothing against you, but this is the usual pattern of driving followed by most including us bhpians and me too at times.

The expressway video was good watch and I really enjoyed it.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Is it possible to take the service road both ways?

Yes, it's open both ways but has two way traffic on both service roads so be careful.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

In your entire video you too are using rightmost lane. Others are zooming past you from left side to overtake you. So, how is it right to blame only heavy vehicles?

Nothing against you, but this is the usual pattern of driving followed by most including us bhpians and me too at times.
...

The expressway has a 100KMPH speed limit.
The rightmost lane, which is supposed to be the fastest lane getting blocked by trucks doing 40-50KMPH causes disturbance to the intended flow of traffic.
This is a nuisance seen all over India, but then the truckers do this based on their experiences(slow lane having more interruptions/ poor condition of the slow lanes), but with better maintained roads hope that they re-wire this instinct.

[rajarsi]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

In your entire video you too are using rightmost lane. Others are zooming past you from left side to overtake you. So, how is it right to blame only heavy vehicles?

Nothing against you, but this is the usual pattern of driving followed by most including us bhpians and me too at times.

The expressway video was good watch and I really enjoyed it.

Well, I thought I drove most of the time in the middle lane . But I take that as feedback and will be more careful next time.

[Rajeevraj]

Drove to Calicut today and now the Srirangapatna bypass is also open. With this, considering the unofficial access to Mandya bypass, all bypasses are open now. As with the other bypasses, did not even realise I was going past Srirangapatna and was on the bypass for some time before I realised it.

Have said it before and will say it again, super glad that this expressway is getting done.

Was a lovely drive today. Hit the expressway at the NICE road exit at 9am and was at Columbia Asia at 10.35am at a steady 100kmph. This is inspite of the pending work in some sections primarily between Mandya-Srirangapatna.

[Caramba]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

D Hit the expressway at the NICE road exit at 9am and was at Columbia Asia at 10.35am at a steady 100kmph. T

Boy! where you lucky. The weekend was such a mess. With not many people realising they were bypassing towns and wanting to get off the flyover, it took us four hours after getting of Nice to get to Columbia Asia and that too because we got smart after realising the bottlenecks and sticking to the service roads at the last stretch.

Coming back today was a breeze, but people who are coming back on 1st and 2nd are in for some torture I suspect. Once the entire road is opened and cordoned off and people stick to speed limits and lanes then it would be good.

Till then, I maintain this is a very dangerous road owing to stupidity of people. I found myself face to face with a tourist bus driving down the wrong way and he was in the fast lane in the opposite direction. Owing to a curve in the road and the gradient, it actually appeared like he was in the correct lane on the opposite side of the road, only when we got close did we realise he was coming down the wrong way and quite fast at that. Honestly people like that should be jailed!!

[megazoid]

Originally Posted by Caramba

Till then, I maintain this is a very dangerous road owing to stupidity of people. I found myself face to face with a tourist bus driving down the wrong way and he was in the fast lane in the opposite direction. Owing to a curve in the road and the gradient, it actually appeared like he was in the correct lane on the opposite side of the road, only when we got close did we realise he was coming down the wrong way and quite fast at that. Honestly people like that should be jailed!!

Completely agree. The present road is extremely dangerous with pedestrians and opposite direction traffic at many places. One has to be extremely careful especially during early morning and night hours. Just hope those lovely speed breakers that are dying to be part of the landscape, don't make an appearance to slow down traffic.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Drove to Calicut today and now the Srirangapatna bypass is also open. With this, considering the unofficial access to Mandya bypass, all bypasses are open now. As with the other bypasses, did not even realise I was going past Srirangapatna and was on the bypass for some time before I realised it.

I recall using the bypass which was totally empty in Nov. However, last week while going and coming to Mysore, I just could not place the turns and ended up using Mandya main road. Is there a way to identify the bypass access? Planning to go tomorrow.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

I recall using the bypass which was totally empty in Nov. However, last week while going and coming to Mysore, I just could not place the turns and ended up using Mandya main road. Is there a way to identify the bypass access? Planning to go tomorrow.

When going towards Mysore, as you exit the completed section of the highway at the point where the Mandya bypass actually starts, and get into the service road that will take you to the highway into Mandya town, on the service road, you will see Amaravathi Restaurant, immediately after that, instead of going left into the Mandya town road, turn right and cross over under the bypass, then take a left (Bangalore traffic will go right). At this point you cross the railway track through the existing road overbridge and you can see the way to enter into the bypass road. Cross over so that you are on the left service roads.

The opposite way, as you exit the highway into the Mandya town road, maybe a few 100 mtrs, you will see a road go left and crossing the tracks- take that road and it will hit the bypass. If you are first going towards Mysore, you can easily note this location when you merge back into the Mandya road.

[HTC]

Did blr-mys-blr today.

Morning started at 7:15am, reached mysore after 10:30. Lot of confusion as to which section of express way is complete or not. In 1 hour, reached maddur tiffanys(need to get off the exp way), but post maddur, lot of traffic, a single lorry which had broken down on service road after Mandya had caused serpentine jam. 4-5 lanes from express way and 2-3 lanes from service road, all trying to get on to single lane next to lorry. Luckily, traffic cops came and diffused the congestion by creating alternate route.

While returning from mysore, started at 6.30pm, till maddur it is mostly service lane where every car is trying to overtake every other car. Some jam in mandya. Post maddur till 3-4 kms from NICE road junction, it was smooth. After that 3 lane flyover had become 6 lane as there was a bottle neck created where the flyover ends. Reached home at 10pm.

I wanted to take kanakpura road, but decision veto'd by spouse owing to safety concern on night travel in that route. I still feel the quality of new road is not even close to original mys - blr highway built during SM Krishna's time.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by rajarsi

Went for a quick trip to Mysore and enjoyed the drive till Manya as the expressway is open till Mandya.]

Watching this video which you have posted in fast forward brings to mind a video game. Considering the speeds, blind side overtaking, general lane indiscipline and driver behaviour, it is really quite a daily miracle which we all experience, in surviving driving between cities in India.
Fingers Crossed.