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-   -   Bangalore, Chennai via Chittoor : Route Queries (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/32263-bangalore-chennai-via-chittoor-route-queries-21.html)

I did a Bangalore-Chennai-Bangalore trip recently. Below are my observations. Hope this helps others. My vehicle is Zest (maybe relevant to others from ground clearance point of view).

Bangalore-Chennai via Krishnagiri on 3rd December. Departed from Bangalore at 6.15pm. Reached Chennai around 1.30am. Heavy downpour near Shoolagiri but otherwise not much rain. Complete drive was after sunset. The section after Chennasamudram toll plaza till Sriperumbudur is doable at night if your speeds are reasonable (about 20-25 diversions are there, mostly well marked). Just don't drive as though it is daytime or 6-lane like Krishnagiri-Vellore section. Potholes and rough sections are there. My speeds were typically 55-70 kmph in this section.

Chennai-Vellore on 7th December. Departed from Chennai at 5.30am. Reached Vellore around 8.00am. Lots of fog in the morning. Had to be slower even though traffic was lower. Potholes in this section is patched up with tar and hence much better to drive than the opposite carriageway.

Vellore-Sholinghur-RK Pet-Tiruttani-Arakkonam-Thakkolam-Thandalam-Poonamallee bypass-Chennai on 9th December (timings not relevant since we spent lots of time on temple visits on the way). Roads are mostly good to very good. Arakkonam-Thakkolam-Thandalam stretch is holding well. Observations by narayans80 is spot-on - mostly divided carriageway with speed humps. Lots of cattle on the road around sunset time. Doable even at night if speeds are reasonable.

Chennai-Walajahpet-Chittoor bypass-Bangalore on 12th December. Started from Chennai at 2pm. Reached Bangalore at 8.45pm. As mentioned earlier, most potholes in Chennai-Chennasamudram toll plaza side of the carriageway is patched up with tar. So good speeds are possible, particularly in day time. But have to slow down for every diversion to service roads (about 20-25 of them). I did see some patch work happening on the Chennai-bound carriageway. Not sure how fast they will complete the work. Chittoor route is now mostly good barring some small bad stretches near Zion Hill church, CMC Chittoor campus & Chittoor Collectorate Office.

Hope this helps.

How on earth are you (and some others) getting google to "suggest" other routes?

For me, Google has always, does always, (and probably will always) suggest only one route from Sriperambudur to my destination in T. Nagar. It does not even show other Grey alternatives - never! Well, actually, it might suggest two alternatives from Poonamallee (Porur/Saidapet, or Nelson Manicka Mudaliar Road), but at least up to Poonamallee only one route.

Same thing when coming from T. Nagar to Bangalore - only one route up to Poonamallee.

Cheers

I guess that depends on the timing of your drive. Early mornings and late night, Google will always show through the city.

Also try from Kanchipuram to T.Nagar.

At this moment (1:24 PM), Google is showing 3 routes from Sriperumbudur to T. Nagar:

1. NH 4, Poonamallee bypass, Koyambedu, Anna Nagar.
2. NH 4, Poonamallee bypass, Kathiparai, Teynampet.
3. Kundrathur, Porur, Kathiparai, Teynampet.

All with a time estimate that falls within a 5-minute interval.

Something is wrong with your Google Maps settings, perhaps? :-)

This case I was checking T. Nagar to Murugan Idli Shop, Kaveripakkam around 9 pm yesterday. It didn't show this suggestion reversing source and destination.

Sometimes I do drag and drop and experiment as well. This I do destinations I am familiar with. I even check section wise average speeds, which gives and inidication of how good or bad the roads are.

I once did Takkolam-Sriperumbudur when returning from Thiruvalangadu. So am familiar with that road.

For me option 3 does not show (at least I think it does not show because I have no idea where Kundrathur is).

I do not know what options to change in gmaps other than say avoid highways/toll roads etc. Thre are no other options for routes. But then, I am on iPhone and not Android, maybe Android has way more options n gmaps that iphone does.

That's the advantage you have and I do not. I have been away from Madras for at least three decades other than flying (and now driving) to my mother's place. This is not the Madras I grew up in, and so I am not familiar with almost any locality in or around Madras now.

People here talk of places like Oragadam - I have no idea where it is. It did And most other places either. Most of these places did not exist when I was growing up and came up long after I left Madras and India. :(

Question to all: What are the RTPCR requirements (in either direction) between KA/AP/TN or even just KA/TN (in case of the Krishnagiri route); and also, do I need to get an e-pass for TN?

Thanks again to the two of you and cheers

I can totally understand your state.
There are no RTPCR requirements or ePass requirements currently. So you can just drive in and out freely. No issues.

Since your destination is T.Nagar , and you are not that familiar with "new" Madras in your eyes, you simply stick to Koyambedu, Anna Nagar route and just time your entry into the city in such a way that you enter in afternoon or late night (after 12 pm or after 10 pm).

-Ravi

Heheheheh that's what I do - and I still need to follow google even inside the city because they have changed street names from what I used to know them as; and made some of them one-way too heheheheheheh. Good times, good times!

Thank you kindly and cheers

Any recent updates on this route from Chennai towards Bangalore?

I drove from Madras to Bangalore on Jan 25th 2022.
There is not much new updates, and the road conditions are same as in my previous updates.
Sriperumbudur to Chennasamudram Toll plaza- too many diversions and road conditions are okay where construction is still in progress. The ones that are completed widening are good but no lane marking.
Chennasamudram to Ranipet to Chittoor to Mahasamudram Toll plaza - usually takes exact 1 hour for me between these tolls. No change.
Mahasumudram-Bangarupalayam-Palamaner-Mulbagal-Bangalore => Usually takes between 2.15 to 2.30 hours. Good roads but bumpy in concrete sections especially in bridges. :Frustrati

-Ravi

Went on a short drive this morning till Kolar. There was dense fog at some places intermittently between Hoskote and Kolar resulting in very poor visibility so onward was slow. Made a U turn before the Mulbagal toll and stopped at Woody's for a coffee and returned.

For folks taking this route to Chennai, there are not many options for a decent food/break stop other than the food court with Maiyas, Mc Donald's, etc on the left. Now, one can stop at Woody's or Aradhya Veg (both on the right side and need U turns though). Approximately 70-80 Km from Indiranagar so an option to stop after about 1-1.5 hrs of driving from Bangalore. Aradhya looked quite new and is close to the Devaraj Urs medical college and almost adjacent to the Kamat (which is avoidable).

Completed Bangalore-Madras-Bangalore trip in last 4 days. As usual took chittoor route both ways.

Roads between Sriperumbudur to Kanchipuram is unsafe to drive in dark, as active work is going on in full swing in both directions. Especially towards the right side high speed lane, as there is deep pit in most places where median was present.

Otherwise, the road conditions remains the same as per earlier updates. Road surface for about 1 to 2 kms in front of Chittoor campus of vellore CMC is not there (from Ranipet to Chittoor direction). There are few potholes around Ranipet Sipcot and the railway underpass.

On a positive side, from Sriperumbudur , i took Chembarambakkam-Kundrathur-Anakaputhur-Pammal-Pallavaram route and the road conditions are excellent. There is not even a single pot hole in entire stretch and is very good surface.

-Ravi

Between This route vs Sriperumbudur-Manimangalam-Mudichur-Tambaram West, which one would you suggest?

Depends on your destination in Madras and time you drive.
If you are driving post dark, i suggest you better take Kundrathur route, although you need to watch out for cattles on the road. You can maintain really decent and good speed in the divided 4L road till Kundrathur without toll.

If it is day time, and your destination is further south beyond Tambaram/Vandalur/Urapakkam/Guduvanchery or towards OMR/Thiruporur etc, take Manimangalam route. Mudichur is a pain to cross through :Frustrati

It also doesn't mean that Kundrathur traffic or traffic between Kundrathur to Pallavaram is less. But i felt we are constantly moving city traffic in slow speeds or in medium/average speeds instead of driving in narrow roads.

-Ravi

Is this road from Chennasamudram Toll plaza to Mulbagal completely 4 laned? If not how much is 2 lane?