Chennai - Thanjavur : Route Queries

neoranjit · 12th June 2008, 00:06

Any idea on how good the roads are from Chennai to tanjore ? I know the road is good until Tindivanam and not after that. I was thinking of going in the other route ie.. pondy - cuddalore - mayiladthurai - tanjore.

Anyone knows how good / bad this road is ?

Blue Thunder · 12th June 2008, 09:58

Tindivanam-Neyveli was bad (not just potholes, but huge craters) during Dec 2007 : but when I went in Apr 2008, the patch-work had been done. Which means we need not crawl along to tackle the craters, but can continue at slightly higher speeds. But of course the roads are not smooth, the ride will be a bit rough. Certain stretches are good in the Panruti-Neyveli stretch : good straight roads with wide spaces on the side and cashew plantations on both sides.I havent done beyond Neyveli on this road, but the Neyveli-Sethiathope stretch is also not that good. I think the Pondy-Chidambaram-Mayiladuthurai route may be better : you may be driving through towns/villages and the roads will be curving all the time, but the roads themselves may be smooth.

csentil · 17th June 2008, 20:35

Just made this long trip into TN and back.

I definitely think the route that you are looking at is good. Chennai - Pondicherry via ECR. The road conditions are still excellent, but beware of the bends.

Pondicherry - Cuddalore - Chidambaram is in very good condition. You can then do Sirkazhi - Mayiladuthurai (Mayavaram) - Kumbakonam. I think the road sort of narrows down after Sirkazhi. There were no unmarked speed humps till Chidambaram. This was as of 15th June !!

tifosikrishna · 17th June 2008, 20:49

ranjit,

route 1:

chennai -tindivanam-panruti-sethiathope-kumbakonam-tanjore

road is good upto tindivanam, kumbakonam-tanjore is also good, and in between tindivanam and kumbakonam, roads are ok, some stretches are bad.

route 2:
chennai-tindivanam-pondi- "chi" "dam" "bram" - mayiladuthurai-kumbaks-tanjore

as blue thunder said, between chidambram to tanjore - you have to pass through a number of villages, high traffic and curvy and narrow road. but road quality will be better.

i would choose option 1.

pypkmsrikanth · 18th June 2008, 10:40

Dunno if this late for you, anyways my update : I did this stretch about a month back. As everyone said the road upto Tindivanam is very good. Work happening between Tindivanam & Vikravandi. Quite a few stretches have been opened with the new road so its not as bad as it used to be (this is a 10 day old update as I went Villupuram last weekend). Post Vikravandi the stretch is slightly rough because of pot holes being covered. I covered Villupuram to Kumbakonam in about 3 hours and 15 minutes for 120 kms keeping a sedate speed of 60 kmph. The stretches after Anaikattu have been done up quite well so you have long straight stretches with good roads. After Kumbakonam the road is decent upto Thanjavur. On any day I would suggest you to take the regular route to go to Thanjavur. Please note I had a Wagon R at my disposal, depending on your car you would have a decent to comfortable ride.

Cheers

Srikanth

DWind · 26th November 2008, 12:53

Hi,

Does anybody have any current updates on the route after the rains?
I am aware of the following options
Option 1: Chennai - Tindivanam - Pondy - Cuddalore - Chidambaram - Sirkazi - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (Traffic)
Option 2: Chennai - Tindivanam - Panruti - Sethiathoppu - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (regular route)
Option 3: Chennai - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Vridachalam - Jayamkondan - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur
Option 4: Chennai - Villupuram - Perambalur - Ariyalur - Thanjavur (avaoiding Tiruchi)

Please let me know.

pypkmsrikanth · 26th November 2008, 13:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWind

Hi,

Does anybody have any current updates on the route after the rains?
I am aware of the following options
Option 1: Chennai - Tindivanam - Pondy - Cuddalore - Chidambaram - Sirkazi - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (Traffic)
Option 2: Chennai - Tindivanam - Panruti - Sethiathoppu - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (regular route)

Please let me know.

I would advice you to take the regular route to Thanjavur as the stretch between Vikravandi (the point where the road diverges from the NH45) and Panruti has been done and beyond the Panruti the roads were decent when I last did the stetch. I dont see any reason for the roads to be bad except for the rains which are lashing Tamil Nadu the last couple of days.

csentil · 26th November 2008, 15:13

Rains are still continuing so suggest you avoid the coastal stretch totally. Tindivanam Panruti is the best bet. Panruti - Sethiathoppu roads were ok sometime back as srikanth says.

PraveenM · 4th January 2009, 12:01

Hi we are planning a road trip to Kumbakonam from Chennai, any has info the road conditions after cyclone Nisha?

We heard that the Cudalore-Sirkazhi road has been badly damaged..any info on the Tindivanam-Panruti-Sethiathoppu route, would be greatly appreciated.

Surprise · 4th January 2009, 16:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by PraveenM

We heard that the Cudalore-Sirkazhi road has been badly damaged..

Me too is of the same opinion, but HVK has responded in a different thread that roads were not damaged as per the info he got.

pypkmsrikanth · 5th January 2009, 10:41

I would suggest you to stick to the regular Panrutti - Sethiathoppu route, I had been upto Panruti a couple of weeks back and the road looked in decent shape like the way it was during my earlier trip to Kumbakonam ( not that the road upto Panruti is a way of things beyond Panruti). No point taking detours, I did see Rathimeena A/c coaches going by the regular route which could be an indication of the shape of the roads.

PRADEEP KUMAR · 5th January 2009, 12:10

folks,
Planning to Vailankanni next tuesday and onwards to Poondi(tirukattupalli)-trichy and back to chennai.

Any updates on the cuddalore- sirkazhi- karaikal- nagore route pls.

tnx

Jai3033 · 2nd May 2009, 17:46

Came to know that the Vadalur-Neyveli section has been closed temporarily because a new bridge is being constructed near Vadalur. All the traffic is now being diverted through Chidambaram. Not sure when it will be opened for traffic again.

pypkmsrikanth · 3rd May 2009, 14:02

The lower anaikut bridge is closed ,this is between Tirupanandal & Kumbakonam, there are tractors which will tow you across the river or the alternate route is via Chidambaram & Mayavaram onto Kumbakonam

MadRash · 11th May 2009, 09:48

Hi Guys:
Once more another Team BHPian needs some info on this route. On 22nd May, I'm going to my home town Udumalaipet. On the way I'm planning to visit a temple in between Kumbakonam & Tanjavur. Please suggest a good route based on the current road condition.

Option 1: Chennai - Tindivanam - Panruti - Sethiathoppu - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (regular route.)
Option 2: Chennai - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Vridachalam - Jayamkondan - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur
Option 3: Chennai - Villupuram - Perambalur - Ariyalur - Thanjavur (avoiding Trichy)
Option 4: Chennai - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Trichy - Tanjavur

I will start @ around 4 AM. and I planning to reach Tanjavur in less than 4 hours. I prefer good road and less traffic. Please share the current road conditions and also let me know the better option.

12th June 2008, 00:06	#1
neoranjit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 588 Thanked: 196 Times View My Garage	Chennai - Thanjavur : Route Queries Any idea on how good the roads are from Chennai to tanjore ? I know the road is good until Tindivanam and not after that. I was thinking of going in the other route ie.. pondy - cuddalore - mayiladthurai - tanjore. Anyone knows how good / bad this road is ?
	() Thanks

12th June 2008, 09:58	#2
Blue Thunder Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Right here . Posts: 1,662 Thanked: 398 Times View My Garage	Update on Tindivanam-Neyveli stretch as of April 2008 Tindivanam-Neyveli was bad (not just potholes, but huge craters) during Dec 2007 : but when I went in Apr 2008, the patch-work had been done. Which means we need not crawl along to tackle the craters, but can continue at slightly higher speeds. But of course the roads are not smooth, the ride will be a bit rough. Certain stretches are good in the Panruti-Neyveli stretch : good straight roads with wide spaces on the side and cashew plantations on both sides.I havent done beyond Neyveli on this road, but the Neyveli-Sethiathope stretch is also not that good. I think the Pondy-Chidambaram-Mayiladuthurai route may be better : you may be driving through towns/villages and the roads will be curving all the time, but the roads themselves may be smooth. Last edited by Blue Thunder : 12th June 2008 at 10:02. Reason: Addition of content
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17th June 2008, 20:35	#3
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	Just made this long trip into TN and back. I definitely think the route that you are looking at is good. Chennai - Pondicherry via ECR. The road conditions are still excellent, but beware of the bends. Pondicherry - Cuddalore - Chidambaram is in very good condition. You can then do Sirkazhi - Mayiladuthurai (Mayavaram) - Kumbakonam. I think the road sort of narrows down after Sirkazhi. There were no unmarked speed humps till Chidambaram. This was as of 15th June !!
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17th June 2008, 20:49	#4
tifosikrishna BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 827 Thanked: 383 Times View My Garage	ranjit, route 1: chennai -tindivanam-panruti-sethiathope-kumbakonam-tanjore road is good upto tindivanam, kumbakonam-tanjore is also good, and in between tindivanam and kumbakonam, roads are ok, some stretches are bad. route 2: chennai-tindivanam-pondi- "chi" "dam" "bram" - mayiladuthurai-kumbaks-tanjore as blue thunder said, between chidambram to tanjore - you have to pass through a number of villages, high traffic and curvy and narrow road. but road quality will be better. i would choose option 1.
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18th June 2008, 10:40	#5
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,155 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Dunno if this late for you, anyways my update : I did this stretch about a month back. As everyone said the road upto Tindivanam is very good. Work happening between Tindivanam & Vikravandi. Quite a few stretches have been opened with the new road so its not as bad as it used to be (this is a 10 day old update as I went Villupuram last weekend). Post Vikravandi the stretch is slightly rough because of pot holes being covered. I covered Villupuram to Kumbakonam in about 3 hours and 15 minutes for 120 kms keeping a sedate speed of 60 kmph. The stretches after Anaikattu have been done up quite well so you have long straight stretches with good roads. After Kumbakonam the road is decent upto Thanjavur. On any day I would suggest you to take the regular route to go to Thanjavur. Please note I had a Wagon R at my disposal, depending on your car you would have a decent to comfortable ride. Cheers Srikanth
	() Thanks

26th November 2008, 12:53	#6
DWind BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Singara Chennai Posts: 805 Thanked: 238 Times View My Garage	Any current updates post rains? Hi, Does anybody have any current updates on the route after the rains? I am aware of the following options Option 1: Chennai - Tindivanam - Pondy - Cuddalore - Chidambaram - Sirkazi - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (Traffic) Option 2: Chennai - Tindivanam - Panruti - Sethiathoppu - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (regular route) Option 3: Chennai - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Vridachalam - Jayamkondan - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur Option 4: Chennai - Villupuram - Perambalur - Ariyalur - Thanjavur (avaoiding Tiruchi) Please let me know.
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26th November 2008, 15:13	#8
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	Rains are still continuing so suggest you avoid the coastal stretch totally. Tindivanam Panruti is the best bet. Panruti - Sethiathoppu roads were ok sometime back as srikanth says.
	() Thanks

4th January 2009, 12:01	#9
PraveenM BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 125 Thanked: 32 Times	Any updates after Cyclone Nisha Hi we are planning a road trip to Kumbakonam from Chennai, any has info the road conditions after cyclone Nisha? We heard that the Cudalore-Sirkazhi road has been badly damaged..any info on the Tindivanam-Panruti-Sethiathoppu route, would be greatly appreciated.
	() Thanks

5th January 2009, 10:41	#11
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,155 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	I would suggest you to stick to the regular Panrutti - Sethiathoppu route, I had been upto Panruti a couple of weeks back and the road looked in decent shape like the way it was during my earlier trip to Kumbakonam ( not that the road upto Panruti is a way of things beyond Panruti). No point taking detours, I did see Rathimeena A/c coaches going by the regular route which could be an indication of the shape of the roads.
	() Thanks

5th January 2009, 12:10	#12
PRADEEP KUMAR BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: CHENNAI Posts: 388 Thanked: 29 Times	folks, Planning to Vailankanni next tuesday and onwards to Poondi(tirukattupalli)-trichy and back to chennai. Any updates on the cuddalore- sirkazhi- karaikal- nagore route pls. tnx
	() Thanks

2nd May 2009, 17:46	#13
Jai3033 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 155 Thanked: 22 Times	Came to know that the Vadalur-Neyveli section has been closed temporarily because a new bridge is being constructed near Vadalur. All the traffic is now being diverted through Chidambaram. Not sure when it will be opened for traffic again.
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3rd May 2009, 14:02	#14
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,155 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	The lower anaikut bridge is closed ,this is between Tirupanandal & Kumbakonam, there are tractors which will tow you across the river or the alternate route is via Chidambaram & Mayavaram onto Kumbakonam
	() Thanks

11th May 2009, 09:48	#15
MadRash BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Madras Posts: 243 Thanked: 3 Times	Hi Guys: Once more another Team BHPian needs some info on this route. On 22nd May, I'm going to my home town Udumalaipet. On the way I'm planning to visit a temple in between Kumbakonam & Tanjavur. Please suggest a good route based on the current road condition. Option 1: Chennai - Tindivanam - Panruti - Sethiathoppu - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur (regular route.) Option 2: Chennai - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Vridachalam - Jayamkondan - Kumbakonam - Thanjavur Option 3: Chennai - Villupuram - Perambalur - Ariyalur - Thanjavur (avoiding Trichy) Option 4: Chennai - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Trichy - Tanjavur I will start @ around 4 AM. and I planning to reach Tanjavur in less than 4 hours. I prefer good road and less traffic. Please share the current road conditions and also let me know the better option.
	() Thanks