[NPV]

After the Coffee Day at Chittoor I need to make a right turn and then go towards Ranipet (left) or Vellore/Arcot (right) ? Earlier posts on this thread mention it is better to avoid Ranipet and Wallajah but I'm a bit confused looking at the map.
Is it correct then to go right towards Vellore and then make a left turn to reach Arcot and then the GQ towards Chennai ?
Maybe @ampere or @prabhuferrari or others can help answer this.

[prabhuferrari]

Originally Posted by NPV

After the Coffee Day at Chittoor I need to make a right turn and then go towards Ranipet (left) or Vellore/Arcot (right) ? Earlier posts on this thread mention it is better to avoid Ranipet and Wallajah but I'm a bit confused looking at the map.
Is it correct then to go right towards Vellore and then make a left turn to reach Arcot and then the GQ towards Chennai ?
Maybe @ampere or @prabhuferrari or others can help answer this.

What you should do is take the road towards ranipet and once you reach ranipet, instead of going straight towards walajah, you take a right towards arcot. And once you reach GQ take left towards chennai. This way you avoid walajah and join GQ much earlier in your journey. Saves you 15 to 20 minutes.

The road you are referring to is chitoor vellore route which is not worth it. Clear now?

[VW2010]

After the Coffee Day at Chittoor I need to make a right turn and then go towards Ranipet (left)

Other wise take the route i suggested above. Instead of going all the way to chittoor, take the right in Palamenar to reach pallikonda and Vellore. This route is traffic free and gives one helluva driving fun.

[NPV]

Some details from the Chennai road trip (took the Old Mds Rd route both ways).
Bangalore-Chennai
5:30 am Home - 0 km
8 to 8:30 am Breakfast stop @Coffee Day, Chittor - 169 Km
11:45 am T Nagar - 333 Km

Chennai-Bangalore
2:15pm T Nagar - 0 Km
5 to 5:30 pm stop @Coffee Day, Chittor - 163 Km
8:30 pm Home - 332 Km
Lot of slow moving traffic after Chittoor - trucks can hold traffic to ransom with their slowness and when they're in a convoy very difficult to overtake. Luckily I covered most of the drive in daylight and drove only 15-20 Km on the 2 lane stretch in darkness before reaching Mulbagal from where 4 lane starts.
Also, thanks to ampere, prabhuferrari and narayans80 my confusion about the route WRT Ranipet/Wallajah/Arcot was cleared.

For first timers on this route - Once you reach Ranipet (past the BHEL junction), you will a signboard for Ranipet town. After about 2 Km, you will reach a junction with a wide road to the right and marked for Vellore, take this turnoff to the right and you will hit the GQ road where you need to turn left (There was some road construction activity for about 2Km from this junction. Also, the road from Vellore/Krishnagiri merges a little ahead from the opposite direction).

If you proceed straight at Ranipet, you will go into Walajahpet where the road is good but a lot of shops, people and slow moving traffic. It will then merge onto GQ road again, not much addition distance wise compared to the right turn at Ranipet but this route can add a few minutes to the travel time. I took this route on my return but being a Sunday it was not bad.

[hyper-VTEC]

I have been allocated to a new project and it needs me to be in Chennai for 80% of the time. This means i would need to travel frequently between Bangalore and Chennai, since my family will stay here.

I understand from reading this thread that under the current circumstances of road being widened in Krishnagiri route it makes more sense in traveling through the OMR - Chittoor route. Moreso because i am located in Banaswadi-ORR area.

I will travel this Sunday (19-Aug) to Chennai for the first time and intend to take the OMR-Chittoor route. My office is in Thuraipakkam area. I plan to start around 4PM from Banaswadi and hope to reach by 10PM with a 15-20 mins break. Would this timing be okay? I do not wish to hit heavy traffic when i enter Chennai.

Please let me know which route i should take from Sriperumbudur onwards to wards Thuraipakkam. Also do TN cops create problems with KA registered cars?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by hyper-VTEC

I understand from reading this thread that under the current circumstances of road being widened in Krishnagiri route it makes more sense in traveling through the OMR - Chittoor route. Moreso because i am located in Banaswadi-ORR area.

I will travel this Sunday (19-Aug) to Chennai for the first time and intend to take the OMR-Chittoor route. My office is in Thuraipakkam area. I plan to start around 4PM from Banaswadi and hope to reach by 10PM with a 15-20 mins break. Would this timing be okay? I do not wish to hit heavy traffic when i enter Chennai.

Please let me know which route i should take from Sriperumbudur onwards to wards Thuraipakkam. Also do TN cops create problems with KA registered cars?

Wouldn't suggest you to opt the OMR route at the time period you are planning to take. Did that mistake a month back, left from Hoskote around 5 pm and faced heavy traffic in the night on the 2lane stretch between Mulbagal and Vellore.

See if you can leave earlier, by 2 PM atleast. Then you should be better off, as you'll be on the GQ (or in Chennai) by night.

Also do note the Vellore - Krishnagiri might be seeing 6-laning in progress, however it is fairly doable without any issues at all! Except for some jams at Krishnagiri, the rest of the route should be effortless. If you can't leave earlier, I'd recommend the GQ route over the OMR route.

Edit: The TN cops didn't trouble my MH registered car. However if you do get stopped, keep the toll receipts handy. Should get you through most checks.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by hyper-VTEC

I plan to start around 4PM from Banaswadi and hope to reach by 10PM with a 15-20 mins break. Would this timing be okay? I do not wish to hit heavy traffic when i enter Chennai.

Please let me know which route i should take from Sriperumbudur onwards to wards Thuraipakkam. Also do TN cops create problems with KA registered cars?

Driving through the city would be a better option for the time you are entering.

You shouldn't have any problem with cops. 2 of my colleagues drive with MH-12 license plates for more than a year, and haven't faced problem due to their license plate numbers. As ninja says, keep the toll receipts handy.

[VW2010]

For Bangalore to Thoraippakam this is my suggested best route.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=T...ia=1,2&t=m&z=9

This is the easiest, fastest and some of the best route inside chennai as well as from Bangalore to Chennai.

Avoid chittoor if possible and take the Palamenar to Pallikonda route(i know i am saying this for the nth time)

[hyper-VTEC]

Originally Posted by VW2010

For Bangalore to Thoraippakam this is my suggested best route.

This is the easiest, fastest and some of the best route inside chennai as well as from Bangalore to Chennai.

Avoid chittoor if possible and take the Palamenar to Pallikonda route(i know i am saying this for the nth time)

Would this be the best option even if i leave at 4PM, or should i target to leave earlier as #ninjatalli suggested. Would 3PM be fine :-(

[VW2010]

Would this be the best option even if i leave at 4PM, or should i target to leave earlier as #ninjatalli suggested. Would 3PM be fine :-(

I did this route starting at 600PM. Starting at 3PM means you are looking at reaching Tambaram around 8-830PM and @ 830PM the route from Tambaram to Thoraipakkam via Pallavaram by-pass should be hassle free to reach by 930. I say 10 PM is a good guesstimate.

[raju2512]

I have to drive to Whitefield from Chennai on Friday and return back the same day. Which is better - OMR or GQ and turn right at Attibelle (as suggested by google maps). I am planning to leave by 5 am. It will be better if I can reach Whitefield before 11 am so that I am start back by 2.30 pm

[ravib]

Originally Posted by raju2512

I have to drive to Whitefield from Chennai on Friday and return back the same day. Which is better - OMR or GQ and turn right at Attibelle (as suggested by google maps). I am planning to leave by 5 am. It will be better if I can reach Whitefield before 11 am so that I am start back by 2.30 pm

Just for 3 hours stay in bangalore, you want to drive 10 hours up & down!
May be your personal choice, but if possible, see if you can take Shatabdi express depending on your work timings.

To answer your question, if you start by 5 am, you can easily reach Bangalore by 11 am in either route. Since you are driving mostly in day time and need to reach Whitefield, OMR will be first choice. But note that from chittoor to Mulbagal, there will be quite a heavy truck traffic and probability is high that it may slow you down. You may want to refer to recent posts added by others to take Pallikonda-Palamner route, if you opt GQ for 50% and then Pallikonda-Palamaner route and join OMR road from Mulbagal.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post2867497

Even if you miss the right from Pallikonda, no worries, just continue in GQ and then take right turn after Attibelle toll. But beware, there will be atleast 27 speed breakers between Attibelle to White field, so don't drive too fast.


-Ravi

[raju2512]

Originally Posted by ravib

Just for 3 hours stay in bangalore, you want to drive 10 hours up & down!
May be your personal choice, but if possible, see if you can take Shatabdi express depending on your work timings.
-Ravi

I always prefer shatabdi but all trains are heavily into WL. I will be trying tatkal but driving down will be the option if irctc plays truant as it usually does. Two of us will be travelling and both can drive so strain will be that much less.

Thanks for the info

[NPV]

Some of the options for food breaks on the OMR Route between Bangalore-Chittoor:

41 Km - LHS - IOC Petrol pump, Kamat adjacent to IOC Petrol pump
46 Km - LHS - HP Petrol pump, Coffee Day
64 Km - RHS - Woodys, Kolar
68.5 Km - RHS - Coffee Day, Adigas (this is a new establishment coming up, not yet open)
107 Km - RHS - Shanthi Sagar
146 Km - LHS - Coffee Day
153 Km - RHS - Reliance Petrol pump, Nandi Food Plaza
168 Km - LHS - Nandi Food Plaza
169 Km - RHS - Coffee Day, Chittoor. This is just before the left turnoff for Chittoor Byepass to Tirupathi. Another 0.5 Km ahead of this place is the right turnoff to Chennai
*Distances are approximately +5Km from KR Puram

Note:From the list above, the only places I have tried are Woody's (good), Nandi Food Plaza in Reliance campus near Chittoor (average) and the Coffee Day at Chittoor (good).

Hope this helps.

[mpksuhas]

Did Bangalore - Chennai - Bangalore over the weekend.
Bangalore - Chennai : Started from Murgeshpalaya at 4:30 AM, apart from a small queue (~10 mins) on Atibelle toll booth none of the toll booth took much time. Lane closure before Vellore for 6 laning is not present now, however the deviations for underpass work is still there. Reached Ponnamalai around 9AM.
4hrs 30 mins including a 15 mins break at Shoolagiri HP bunk tanking up and bio break. However from Ponnamalai to Vadapalani took around 45 mins since morning traffic had pickedup.

Return was on Monday afternoon. Since it was an extended weekend knew it will be madness on road. So started soon after lunch at 2:30 PM from Vadapalani, got stuck in Porur junction for around half hr. Dont know why, there was a huge traffic jam; also overpass work at Porur juction looks like stopped. Iam seeing it in same state since past 6 months or so.
Was 3:30 by time I crossed Poonamallai. Once crossing Chennai things were fine, no much issues in toll booths too. However madness started once reaching Krishnagiri. Krishnagiri- Chinar toll booth took around 35 mins to cross. Thankfully the ghat section widening work is mostly done and even if you wont be able to use all 3 lanes due to incomplete work the older 2 lanes are freed of any blockages now. Attibelle checkpost had a queue of some half KM. Took around 40 mins to cross that. By time we reached Murgeshpalaya it was almost 10 PM. The longest Chennai- Bangalore timing for me.
Add to that HP bunk in Shoolagiri was out of petrol and diesel.