Best route from Trivandrum to Bangalore

[gkrishk]

What is the best route from TVM to Blore?
in terms of:
-road condition in view of monsoon damage
-traffic congestion (I start at 5 am to get thru TVM-EKM before the traffic
builds up)
-distance / time factor

I have done this drive several times over the past few years but always via Ernakulam-Coimbatore-Salem bypass-Krishnagiri-Hosur. The distance is about 780 km. If I'm driving on my own I generally stop overnight at Coimbatore but if I have a driver we do it nonstop.

Any alternatives? I'm thinking of going via Shenkotta-Madurai.

Your suggestions please

[akroy]

Originally Posted by gkrishk

What is the best route from TVM to Blore?
in terms of:
-road condition in view of monsoon damage
-traffic congestion (I start at 5 am to get thru TVM-EKM before the traffic
builds up)
-distance / time factor

I have done this drive several times over the past few years but always via Ernakulam-Coimbatore-Salem bypass-Krishnagiri-Hosur. The distance is about 780 km. If I'm driving on my own I generally stop overnight at Coimbatore but if I have a driver we do it nonstop.

Any alternatives? I'm thinking of going via Shenkotta-Madurai.

Your suggestions please

Go via the Normal NH47,only that take the diversion to Mettur at Bhavani, it will be both short, fast and scenic...If u can bypass Salem, you save atleast an hour by default...

Madurai will be more south wards, it will be more distance...

Abhi

[speedzak]

Originally Posted by gkrishk

I have done this drive several times over the past few years but always via Ernakulam-Coimbatore-Salem bypass-Krishnagiri-Hosur. The distance is about 780 km. If I'm driving on my own I generally stop overnight at Coimbatore but if I have a driver we do it nonstop.

Any alternatives? I'm thinking of going via Shenkotta-Madurai.

Your suggestions please

I think it is better to stick to your normal route.
Mettur deviation is good only due to the repairing work which was happening between Dharmapuri and Thoppur. Also after Bhavani till Salem Byepass. Salem Byepass is not very time consuming these days and offers some good places to take a break.
A1 plazas and Some BP outlet which is almost huge as disneyland and has almost everything including Ayurvedic massages!

Last I went to Tirunelveli via Schenkottai, the road was in a very horrible condition.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by gkrishk

Any alternatives? I'm thinking of going via Shenkotta-Madurai.

Your suggestions please

This road has less traffic over it and it's surfaced well. If you want to reach Trivandrum/Kollam i would suggest this road. The distance is less compared to the normal NH47 route. And it's a good change over the bring NH47.

Last June i travelled from Trivandrum to Bangalore on this route. The roads were a bit bad on the Kerala side (TVM-Aryankavu-Shenkottah) with potholes and broken sections. But it was not boring at all because of the scenery.

But once on the TN side the roads are beyootiful straight stretches well surfaced and with less traffic. At some places on the Shenkotta-Madurai leg some culvert work were going on and was marked clearly, the work must've finished by now.

Edit: Saw Zak's post only after i posted.

Originally Posted by speedzak

Last I went to Tirunelveli via Schenkottai, the road was in a very horrible condition.

Zak When was this?

[gkrishk]

I think it is better to stick to your normal route.

Go via the Normal NH47,only that take the diversion to Mettur at Bhavani, it will be both short, fast and scenic...If u can bypass Salem, you save atleast an hour by default...

Thanks..I think I'll take my usual route but with the Mettur detour

[speedzak]

Zak, when was this?

Hmmm... About a month ago. Before the monsoons. So after monsoons, it would've been worst.
Yes, the Kerala side of the road is bad. The TN section after the ghats are great.

[sajivr]

Originally Posted by Sankar

This road has less traffic over it and it's surfaced well. If you want to reach Trivandrum/Kollam i would suggest this road. The distance is less compared to the normal NH47 route. And it's a good change over the bring NH47.

how is the road condition for this route now? Planning to go to TVM in march. Heard that the other route (via kovai) is in very bad shape.

[Sankar]

I'm not aware of the present situation of the Madurai route.

But i've been to Bangalore couple of weeks ago and the roads are not very bad as you would expect it to be. There are some broken sections between Kovai and Avinashi and between Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri and also the 4 laning work is going on in that section.

[novice]

I had been to Madurai last week. Roads are reasonably OK except two very bad stretches, one between Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri and another from Salem for about 30 kms. There are big potholes in those two stretches. The entire stretch from Krishnagiri to Madurai and beyond is being widened, so expect frequent lane deviations all along.

If you have patience and see through those two bad stretches, you could expect a good drive.

PS: I don't know about the road condition beyond Madurai

[mykal shoemaker]

What's the condition of this route now?

I'm planning a trip from Kollam through madurai -Salem.
Normally I use the usual Bhavani-Mettur-Dharmapuri route.But thinking of a new route this time.

Can anyone advice the recent updates on this route,esp Kollam-Madurai-Salem section?

[vinay.pillai]

I did this stretch from Bangalore to Punalur last week of last month. Road till Madurai was good with intermediate deviation. After Tirumangalam, I took a right to Rajapalayam, Shencottaah, Tenmala...Its a 2 lane road but still it good to drive at 70/80 Km/hr....less traffic.....only thing is you have to pass through few of the villages & town.....
But I remember, at 1 village(don't remember the name) it was one way through the village and we have to take a deviation.....But you don't have to worry as it is one way when coming from Shencontaah....and I would suggest others to just go through if you are reaching that place early morning or evening...deviated road goes through agricultural field and there is hardly any sign board to show way.....I was lucky....I just followed a KSRTC bus and was able to pass otherwise I was lost.....
Also the road in Kerala till Punalur was tarred and good to drive
My running was as follows:
Started from my Home at Whitefield:4:15 PM
Krishanagiri: 6 PM
Salem (stopped for Fuel): 7:30 PM
Madurai: 10:30 PM
Tenmala: 1 AM
Punalur Bridge: 1:35 AM
My Home: 2 AM

When you cross the TN-Kerala border at night, be ready to be checked at checkpost....

Hope this helps

[mykal shoemaker]

Thanks a lot Vinay.
I did the same route today.(7/Nov/09)

Started from Kallambalam.(Trivandrum)
Kallambalam-->Anchal-->Kulathuppuzha-->Aryankavu-->Shenkottai-->Rajapalayam-->Tirumangalam-->Madurai-->Salem-->Bangalore.
As it was raining heavily throughout the trip, it took around 12 hours.Normally the NH47+Mettur+NH7 route- which I used to follow- takes around 14/15 hours always.(most of the time in Kerala traffic)

The road condition is excellent in Madurai-->Hosur stretch. 80%+ work completed.
There were only 2 or 3 deviations.

Aryankavu-->Madurai stretch also in good shape.

On Madurai-Hosur stretch we can cruise on 120+ KMPH.

I think this is the best route now to reach Bangalore from South/South-East part of Kerala.There is no strain of driving through Kerala upto Palakkad.

There are total 5 toll booths in NH 7 in this route.
1.Near Madurai.- Rs.37.00
2.After Dindigul,on the way to Karur- Rs. 54.00
3.Rasamplayam - Rs.29.00
4.Omalur- Rs.34.00
5.Krishnagiri- Rs.25.00

total 179.00. But I'm sure, we are getting one of the best roads to drive,for this toll.

[mykal shoemaker]

Missed to mention one more toll.
6. Thoppur -Rs.48.00
So total amount is Rs.227.