[ampere]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Well, that is overstating it. Unless the driver is too much of a novice, it never takes more than 1.5hours.

Thats what even I was thinking. It would have been over-emphasising and sensationalising it. But since it was in Hindu, I thought I would give it a bit more credibility. Hence thought of sharing it here.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by deadguy25

Team,

Any update on the road conditions from Bangalore to Mangalore?

Originally Posted by ampere

Another of those many articles which keep talking about Shiradi. This came up in Hindu today.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...cle5008030.ece

Originally Posted by Samurai

Well, that is overstating it. Unless the driver is too much of a novice, it never takes more than 1.5hours.

There are such roads that would take two hours. Example, Husur-Tittimati road, where 10kmph is the top speed you can achieve.

Started from Koramangala at 5 am on Saturday morning . Took us slightly more than 2.15 hours to reach Athithi at Channrayapatna . We decided to check out this place as we had heard about better food as compared to Kamath on the other side of the road . They needed more than a hour to get back with our order . We ended up spending close to 1.45 hours here due to their useless service . Somehow , none of us liked the food as well.

On Shiradi , it is bad , but nothing that would take 2 hours ! I think these journalists must have tried doing this ghat in an autorickshaw with 10 inch tires ! Like i said earlier , its the uphil side that is damaged more ,vehicles with low GC will have to be careful with their front bumpers and sump guards on some of these potholes.

We needed 4 hours of driving time from Channrayapatna to Mangalore

[deadguy25]

Originally Posted by prabhusati

Travelled to Mangalore on Saturday, 3rd August 2013 evening and returned back on Monday, 5th August 2013 late night. Bangalore to Hassan is almost a 4 lane and is a pleasure to drive. Hassan to Sakaleshpur is manageable, but the Shiradi ghat road is bad. Lots of potholes which are getting converted into craters due to heavy rain and trucks / buses. It increased by travel time in the ghat section by 30 minutes. After Gundya, the bad road condition prevails for a few kilometers and after that till Mangalore is good. The journey time was 8.5 hours with a half hour food break and not exceeding 90kmph.

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Started from Koramangala at 5 am on Saturday morning . Took us slightly more than 2.15 hours to reach Athithi at Channrayapatna . We decided to check out this place as we had heard about better food as compared to Kamath on the other side of the road . They needed more than a hour to get back with our order . We ended up spending close to 1.45 hours here due to their useless service . Somehow , none of us liked the food as well.

On Shiradi , it is bad , but nothing that would take 2 hours ! I think these journalists must have tried doing this ghat in an autorickshaw with 10 inch tires ! Like i said earlier , its the uphil side that is damaged more ,vehicles with low GC will have to be careful with their front bumpers and sump guards on some of these potholes.

We needed 4 hours of driving time from Channrayapatna to Mangalore

Thank you Prabhu and Satya.
We plan to leave Bangalore by 7:00 am on Wednesday (14th August) morning.
Since the Shiradi stretch is bad, I think the ford fiesta would be a better choice than the fluidic verna (ground clearance).
Thanks a ton for your feedback, will keep these pointers in mind .

[PearlJam]

Hi, could someone please give an update on the Bangalore-Mangalore route via Hassan & Sakleshpur? I read that there was a lot of flooding in those areas recently. Are the roads still good? Thanks!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Hi, could someone please give an update on the Bangalore-Mangalore route via Hassan & Sakleshpur? I read that there was a lot of flooding in those areas recently. Are the roads still good? Thanks!

Are you not satisfied with the report from speedsatya just two posts prior to yours? What more do you want to know?

[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Are you not satisfied with the report from speedsatya just two posts prior to yours? What more do you want to know?

Sorry to be unclear. speedsatya's post was excellent in terms of the road condition. I was concerned about whether there were any detours, blockages, or other safety issues due to flooding. From the Times of India article:

Sakleshpur residents evacuated as rain pounds Hassan:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiati...c-safer-places

[Samurai]

Floods recede pretty fast in hilly areas once the rain stops. Generally, by the time you see it on the news, it is gone. And NH48 never really sees floods in the hilly parts.

[kshivaa]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Hi, could someone please give an update on the Bangalore-Mangalore route via Hassan & Sakleshpur? I read that there was a lot of flooding in those areas recently. Are the roads still good? Thanks!

Hi,

I travelled on this route this weekend: 11-Aug-2013.
There were no major issues en-route.
Road has a few bad patches, but the drive is really scenic and enjoyable...

thanks
siva

[deadguy25]

Thanks a ton for the timely update guys.

We left to Mangalore from Bangalore on Wednesday - 14th August around 7:00 am.
The roads are awesome until Hassan. Beyond that the road is good but for small patches. You can make good time, but watch for the curves and sudden bad patches of the road.

After Sakleshpur, the roads are good, try not to pick-up a lot of speed, as bad patches crop-up suddenly - especially in the curves, until the ghat section. The roads in the ghat section are pretty bad; not very bad. No major craters as of August 15th - 6:45 pm.

After the ghat section the road is good but for few bad patches which come-up suddenly. The good road tempts us to hard-throttle .

While coming back from Mangalore on the 15th of August, i felt the roads in the ghat section had deteriorated further.

In all, the bad stretches of the ghat section may be around 6-7 kms (rough estimate).
It was raining cats-and-dogs in certain stretches of the ghat section.

One needs to watch for moronic drivers who (as in any ghat section) drive as though they are in a rat race to go to hell.

Cars with low ground clearance - to be driven cautiously. Example - fluidic verna.
I travelled in a ford fiesta, the supension was awesome. Had I taken the verna, then the rear seat occupants would have had a tough time due to the soft suspension.

The scenery was jaw-dropping.
It was raining heavily when i drove through the Shiradi ghat (both ways), but we were game for getting drenched and oggling at the cloud tipped skies, miniature water falls, streams running on either sides, mist covered mountains, etc.

If anyone is planning for pitstops on the ghat section, please ensure
(I know all of us are careful, but does not hurt mentioning) that the car\vehicle is parked off the road.

In totality it was a great drive.

[TheTeacher]

Hi folks,

I will be driving from Bangalore to Udupi on the 24th, and returning back on the 28th.

How viable are the alternate routes? For example, from Sakleshpur, go via Mudigere, Charmadi, Belthangady, Moodabidri, Mulki, Udupi. Is it even worth considering alternate routes like this, or just go via Sakleshpur, Shiradi, Uppinagadi, B.C. Road, Mangalore, Udupi?

TIA!

[Samurai]

Two days back I took the Sakleshpur-Dharmasthala-Karkala route to Manipal. Apart from the usual inconvenience at Shiradi, it is mostly fine. I would still stick to this route.

[TheTeacher]

My destination is actually Pavanje.

I guess after Shiradi, take Route 37 to Ujire, then Route 70 all the way till a little after Padmanoor, then Pakshikere Road till I hit Route 17, then go south for a short distance.

Google Route Link.

[Samurai]

Then skip the Dharmasthala part. Go via B.C.Road and Mangalore. It will be lot faster.

[ash_blore]

I had a short trip to Mangalore. Left Bangalore on 14th and returned on 17th. The route was through Shiradi Ghat.

Like already mentioned here, the road is just phenomenal until Hasan and even until Sakleshpur. The actual ghat is pretty bad until the Dharmastala right turn. Beyond that it is good again and nothing to worry.

A note on the ghats, about 40KM of it is in pretty bad shape. Sedans have to take a lot of care to get through this section. It is still not as bad as earlier (2007/8 I think) but just that you have to pick your lines through the turns.

I drove a XUV and therefore didnt have much trouble. However, did see a few sedans going very gingerly through this section. On a side note, it was raining heavily and non-stop, making for some unbelievable scenery!!

If anyone is interested, I also drove Mlr -> Karkala -> udupi -> malpe -> mlr. This section is in good shape. No issues.

[slicvic]

Have to go from karkala to bangalore next weekend. Based on Samurai post I guess the Dharmasthala road is the better option rather than via BC Road. How much time would Karkala Dharmasthala Bangalore take. I would be starting at around. 3 pm.