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Intend driving to Ezhimala on 23rd May. Any latest updates on NH 17? I normally take NH 47 via Thrissur to join NH 17 further north, considering the two lane ekm- guruvayoor highway. I reckon that I would stick to same plan. Any bright suggestions?

Time of travel will be around 0700 departure from kochi.

Seems good. Ernakulam to Thrissur by NH47 will give you decent progress and then at Kunnamkulam you join NH17. Though 2 laned the road is very smooth.

Boomerang / coolclouds / nisam 76 were spot on :thumbs up regarding road condition of NH7/47 between BLR and Kochi. My timings:

Onward:
19 Apr: Blr-Salem 3 hours dep UBCity @ 12.30 pm.
Salem 45 min break @ GRT Estancia
Salem-Palakkad byepass 3hours
Palakkad byepass 15 min break
Palakkad - Ernakulam 2.45 hours arr Thammam 10.15 pm

Return:
21 Apr: Ernakulam-Palakkad 2.5 hours dep @ 3.30 pm Lullu Mall
Palakkad 1.15 hr break to visit an Aunt
Palakkad - Salem 3 hours
Salem 1.15 hr break @ GRT Estancia
Salem - Blr 3 hours arr UBCity 2.30 am

I am planning to drive to Vaikom tomorrow. Planning to start from Brookefield b 12:30 PM. How is the condition of Kuthiran? How was the traffic between Salem and Coimbatore?

Kuthiran: 20 kms of bumpy ride, manageable. You will be doing this at night. By and large this stretch will be in convoy mode so the vehicle ahead can be used as a 'pilot' to negotiate the potholes.

Salem-Coimbatore is a breeze. Watch out for the expansion joints on bridges/flyovers in the newly laid unmarked 6 lane Avinashi sector.

Have a good trip

How is the progress of 4 laning between Chengapalli and Coimbatore? Are there deep potholes in Kuthiran?

Progress? What progress?? At least there is none on the Madukkarai-Walayar section!!

And there are deep potholes in Kuthiran and a few more all the way to Mannuthi

Some work is going on between Vadakkancherry and Palakkad IIRC.

I couldn't remember any DEEP potholes in Kuthiran during my trips.

Yes, work is going on in full swing between Vadakkanchery and Walayar. I was talking about Madukkarai-Walayar section where IVRCL is still sleeping merrily!!

No deep potholes at Kuthiran-Mannuthi stretch is good news. I was in a KSRTC bus last week in this section and the bus was jumping around - maybe due to bad suspension. But I remember 2 major potholes - one at Kuthiran and one at Pattikkad where cars had to snake around these. But that was about a month back. May be they have filled this portion

True Mallumowgli.I went on the NH47 Walayar-Thrissur recently and I am not going on this route again till they complete the 4 lane.The road is in total neglect once you leave Palakkad outskirts and gets progressively worse post Vadakkencheri and has been this way from the time they announced the 4 laning(about 2yrs back-shows the NHAI-State PWD tussle).All that they are doing is filling the potholes haphazardly so that people dont create a fuss about.It just is a bumpy ride nothing more.I am going back to my shoranur and pazhyannur routes till this one becomes a 4 lane.The only difference is that with all the attention on Kuthiran,they are just ensuring nothing major happens on the roads there and as for the rest of the road its nobody's baby.Sad.

I drove via kuthiran 2 weeks back. There are 3 big potholes. One near pattikkad could easily be missed in the night. The road is very uneven. I drove around 30kmph in this complete stretch.

On a different note, got my first ever speeding ticket just after mannuthy. Its after nadathara signal where 4lane road starts. Those interceptor jeeps were waiting knowing that everyone will release their gas pedal after the bad kuthiran stretch. I was clocked doing 79 in a 70kmph zone. Paid rs 400.

Spotted many more interceptors in the next 3 days.
1. On mc road b/w perumbavoor and mvpa.
2. On nh 47 b/w koratty and karukutty.
3. On calicut road b/w kunnamkulm and perumpilavu
4. On calicut bypass near ramanattukara.
5. On nh 47, twice on the descending side of flyovers.

Basically any road which is wide, straight, lean traffic and you will be tempted to cross 80 kmph is a potential target location. After my first ticket, I limited my max speed to 75 within Kerala.

Drove from Brookfield, Bangalore to Vaikom yesterday via Varthur Attibele Salem Coimbatore palakkad kuthiran Thrissur Aluva Vaikom. Started at 12:45 PM yesterday and reached home at 11:00 PM. Total distance 571 km. Took 1 hour to reach Hosur. Got stuck at Thoppur Ghat for 45 mins due to some accident. Reached Kerala border at 7:30 PM, Paliyekkara toll at 9:35 PM. Only the Kuthiran ghat region is bad for around 5 Kms but could be managed. Irumpu palam is repaired. Salem to Coimbatore bypass has also improved. I will take the same route for my return journey.

Anyone taking NH209, be prepared to open your bags, glovebox and car dicky as much as 7 to 8 times on the way- election special- both towards and from bangalore.

I noticed a new Rajabhojanam hotel about 500 meters away from A2B Thoppur on the road towards Bangalore. Has anyone got any update on this place? If this place is decent with clean rest rooms it would be a much needed alternative to A2B.

-- Wind

At the current rate of progress, the Walyar - Vadakkanchery stretch would be completed ahead of the Madukkarai - Walayar stretch.

Meanwhile IVRCL has sold all its three Tamil Nadu road projects to TRIL Road - A TATA company.

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/181797...s-to-tata-firm

-- Wind

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It is supposed to be very good. Clean toilets as well. I read quite many folks mentioning about it.