Current Condition of Road To kerala

[Roshan_v_k]

Originally Posted by kala

The Areekode-Thamarassery stretch is still in good shape as per reports seen here, and so you should be ok till Mukkam. From there to NIIT / Kunnamangalam is only 15 kms, and that road has generallybeen decent, so I wouldn't worry much about it.

Calicut-Guruvayur : NH17 between Calicut and Edappal is in good shape, and so is the Edappal-Kunnamkulam stretch. So I think it'd be better to go via Kunnamkulam instead of using NH17 all along (via Ponnani-Chavakkad)

Hi Kala

Thank buddy. My worry was the Kuttipuram-Edappal stretch.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by Roshan_v_k

Hi Kala

Thank buddy. My worry was the Kuttipuram-Edappal stretch.

SH-69 is super smooth now, perhaps one of the best roads in Kerala alongwith Palakkad-Ottappalam-Kulappully-Pattambi stretch. I took just 35 minutes from Kuttippuram to Akkikkavu (about 5 kms from Kunnamkulam) last weekend on a family trip. And about 2 hrs 15 min for Calicut->Guruvayur last month and the road conditions are still excellently the same except a reasonably big pot-hole just after Kuttippuram bridge towards Guruvayur.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

I would suggest that you take the Gundulpet-Gudalur-Vazhikadavu-Nilambur-Areekode route to Kozhikode.Roads are better than the wayanad route and plus almost the same distance.



It is going to be a day long drive considering the bad conditions of NH17 inside kerala plus heavy traffic inside Kerala.Route is pretty straightforward,keep on NH17 till valanchery and from there divert to Koppam-Pattambi-Kulappully-Ottapalam-Palakkad-Pollachi-Palani-Kodai.The worst section is going to be Mangalore-Kasargod-Kannur-Kozhikode.Leave very early so that you can cover this distance before daytime local and private bus traffic begins.If you are able to leave Udupi by 4am nothing like it.

Ideal way to do it would be for you to leave Udupi after lunch and stay the night at Kozhikode(8-9hr drive)

Next day morning leave Kozhikode after an early breakfast to reach Kodai for lunch.This way you would be able to enjoy the scenic ghat section between Palani and Kodai,else you would be cutting it real close with darkness closing in on you by the time you begin your ghat climb in a same day drive.

On your return again,you could break journey at kozhikode and reach home at udupi for lunch next day.

Udupi-Mangalore approx 2hours (60kms)
Mangalore-Kozhikode:6hours (250kms)
Kozhikode-Palakkad:3hours (140kms)
Palakkad-Palani:2.5-3hours (120kms)
Palani-Kodai:2hours (70kms)

Mangalore, Karnataka to Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps

Very optimistic :-)

People seem to be taking 6 hours from Talipparamba to Ramanattukara(12 kms after Calicut) these days and you budgetted just 6 hours for MAQ->CLT.

I am not sure but think Manipal->Hassan->Mysore->Nanjangud->Sathyamangalam->Avinashi->Palladam->Palani will be less stressful and more scenic drive with an additional 80 kms and same driving times though. Except Charmadi & Dimbham ghats and Mysore->Nanjangud section, you can drive fast too.

There is in fact a KSRTC bus that takes the route Mangalore->Madikeri->Mysore->Sathyamangalam->Erode->Karur->Madurai and that bus just flies except the 2 ghat sections (Dimbham and Sampaje) and heard it takes about 16 hours only when Madikeri->Mangalore section was in good condition. We can check with KarnakataSRTC website/officials and confirm this though :-)

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

2) Calicut->Tirur->Chamravattom/Alathiyur->Tirunnavaya->Kuttipuram->Akkikkavu->Ottuppara Jn->Vazhacode Jn->Alathur->Kollengode : good roads throughout except a couple of kms before Kuttipuram and the last 1 km before Ottuppara Jn. .

Ajith, Has the Alathiyur-Tirunavaya-kuttipuram stretch been repaired? It is a stretch that has always been bad and last I heard even private bus operators were refusing to run on that route.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

Very optimistic :-)

People seem to be taking 6 hours from Talipparamba to Ramanattukara(12 kms after Calicut) these days and you budgetted just 6 hours for MAQ->CLT.

Well maybe timing is a factor as well.Last month I left NH17 Kozhikode bypass at 715 and was at Pumpwell at 1310,at Marvanthe at 1700,at Karwar 2030.Yes the drive is stressful no doubt.But 6-7hours is decent timings IMO.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Ajith, Has the Alathiyur-Tirunavaya-kuttipuram stretch been repaired? It is a stretch that has always been bad and last I heard even private bus operators were refusing to run on that route.

Not fully repaired but there are improvements to the extent of filling up the pot-holes with hard fillings and hence I could do Alathiyur-Tirunavaya-kuttipuram in about 25-30 minutes. And they have started major repair work from Kuttipuram side and when I drove last week-end, for a couple of kms, they were allowing vehicles in one direction only as one-half of the road was being patched up in a decent way. Looks like, the full stretch will be repaired in another 15 days if the same progress continues. Also heard that some inspection (by ministers and some senior officials) is going to happen about the progress of approach road works for the Chamravattom bridge and hence Kuttippuram->Tirunnavaya->Alathiyur->Chamravattom is getting patched up to a decent condition !

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Well maybe timing is a factor as well.Last month I left NH17 Kozhikode bypass at 715 and was at Pumpwell at 1310,at Marvanthe at 1700,at Karwar 2030.Yes the drive is stressful no doubt.But 6-7hours is decent timings IMO.

Totally agree about timings and stress factor.

A couple of months back, I did a trip for which the timings are:
Calicut (5 AM) -> Talipparamba (7.30 AM) : 2.5 hours which is very good.
Talipparamba (9 AM) -> Calicut (2 PM) : 5 hours which is very bad. Took 1 hour for Valapattanam->Chovva Jn (where Kannur->Iritty->Virajpet road forks) and again one hour for Dharmadam->Tellicherry->Mahe South Border. There was a small traffic block at Koyilandi which wasted about 15-20 minutes and then the perennial bottleneck of Korapuzha bridge near Elathur where there was a huge traffic pile-up (police allowing only one directional traffic and switching the directions in every 10 minutes) that wasted close to half an hour.

In short, morning onward trip was a 2.5 hours of non-stop driving while the return was close to 2 hours of driving and 3 hours of stopping/crawling.

For those who are travelling Mangalore->Kannur section of NH-17, the bad news is that Kanjangad->Kasargod stretch is reported to be in very bad condition and also Kasargod->Mangalore section has deteriorated again recently.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

Not fully repaired but there are improvements to the extent of filling up the pot-holes with hard fillings and hence I could do Alathiyur-Tirunavaya-kuttipuram in about 25-30 minutes. And they have started major repair work from Kuttipuram side and when I drove last week-end, for a couple of kms, they were allowing vehicles in one direction only as one-half of the road was being patched up in a decent way. Looks like, the full stretch will be repaired in another 15 days if the same progress continues. Also heard that some inspection (by ministers and some senior officials) is going to happen about the progress of approach road works for the Chamravattom bridge and hence Kuttippuram->Tirunnavaya->Alathiyur->Chamravattom is getting patched up to a decent condition !

Thanks. Hope they do a good job this time. Normally they patch it and within 2 months it is back to its old shape. Wish they would relay it the same way as the Tirur-Edarikode stretch and other such stretches in Malappuram Dt. If I recall correctly, these stretches were done minimum 5-6 years ago and are still in very good condition

Originally Posted by ajithbr

SH-69 is super smooth now, perhaps one of the best roads in Kerala alongwith Palakkad-Ottappalam-Kulappully-Pattambi stretch. I took just 35 minutes from Kuttippuram to Akkikkavu (about 5 kms from Kunnamkulam) last weekend on a family trip. And about 2 hrs 15 min for Calicut->Guruvayur last month and the road conditions are still excellently the same except a reasonably big pot-hole just after Kuttippuram bridge towards Guruvayur.

Couldnt agree more on this. Although it was long delayed and faced lot of issues, the end result is a wonderful road. Shows that we can make good roads.

But heard that the poor contractor who did the work committed suicide due to long delays in getting bills cleared.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Thanks. Hope they do a good job this time. Normally they patch it and within 2 months it is back to its old shape. Wish they would relay it the same way as the Tirur-Edarikode stretch and other such stretches in Malappuram Dt. If I recall correctly, these stretches were done minimum 5-6 years ago and are still in very good condition

Today's Mathrubhumi confirms the news about Chamravattom bridge to be inaugurated on January 30. This will reduce Calicut to Thrissur/Guruvayur/Ernakuam distance by about 25-30 kms and also will be a good alternative to the hilly stretches in NH-17 of interior Malappuram district. Just after Ramanattukara, you can take a right and move towards Kadalundi via Olipramkadavu and join the currently damaged Calicut->Feroke->Tirur road. From Kadalundi onwards till Chamravattom, the road is in good condition now and upto Tirur, it runs parallel to both the railway track and west coast.

Tirur-Edarikode stretch will always be good because of its special status as the connecting road from district head-quarters (Malappuram) to the main railway station of the district (Tirur). Also, from Tirur, this road is the popular one to Kottakkal/Manjeri/Nilambur apart from the status of being the most frequented road to Calicut Airport. Even most of the other roads (NH-17, NH-213, main roads around Nilambur/Manjeri etc.) are in great shape now, the only exception being the interior main roads between Perinthalmanna/Pattambi.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

This will reduce Calicut to Thrissur/Guruvayur/Ernakuam distance by about 25-30 kms and also will be a good alternative to the hilly stretches in NH-17 of interior Malappuram district. Just after Ramanattukara, you can take a right and move towards Kadalundi via Olipramkadavu and join the currently damaged Calicut->Feroke->Tirur road. From Kadalundi onwards till Chamravattom, the road is in good condition now and upto Tirur, it runs parallel to both the railway track and west coast.

Thanks for this info. Can you please show this in a Google map?

[Sunney]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

Today's Mathrubhumi confirms the news about Chamravattom bridge to be inaugurated on January 30. This will reduce Calicut to Thrissur/Guruvayur/Ernakuam distance by about 25-30 kms and also will be a good alternative to the hilly stretches in NH-17 of interior Malappuram district. Just after Ramanattukara, you can take a right and move towards Kadalundi via Olipramkadavu and join the currently damaged Calicut->Feroke->Tirur road. From Kadalundi onwards till Chamravattom, the road is in good condition now and upto Tirur, it runs parallel to both the railway track and west coast.

Correct.
1. Now this route can be an escape route for Calicut-Ernakulam travelers. This is actually the OLD road before NH 17, running through sea-shores. Old and hence narrow and through densely populated areas, but more panoramic. Sticking to this route you can totally avoid NH 17, via Ponnani, chavakkad, Kodungallur, Paravur, Edappally.
But this time, after monsoon, do not expect fantastic roads anywhere in Kerala except Mannuthi-Trichur-angamaly-Ernakulam(currently the fast highway in Kerala).
2. Before that, from Payyannur you can avoid damaged NH by turning right, just before Pilathara(abt 5Kms from Payyannur) towards Payangadi-reaching Valapatnam bridge.
3. Also after Kannur, you can turn left to leave NH17 to parallel road to reach Dharmadam, just before Thalassery.

Route 3 may be taken after consulting local taxi drivers, which is best road.(no truck drivers, who will tell 'good road' for their heavy wheels, but pot-holed for cars).

I am heard Payyannur-Calicut-Trichur highway is a nightmare now. Then better divert to interiors: normally low traffic, and panoramic, though slightly curved.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

Today's Mathrubhumi confirms the news about Chamravattom bridge to be inaugurated on January 30. This will reduce Calicut to Thrissur/Guruvayur/Ernakuam distance by about 25-30 kms and also will be a good alternative to the hilly stretches in NH-17 of interior Malappuram district. Just after Ramanattukara, you can take a right and move towards Kadalundi via Olipramkadavu and join the currently damaged Calicut->Feroke->Tirur road. From Kadalundi onwards till Chamravattom, the road is in good condition now and upto Tirur, it runs parallel to both the railway track and west coast.

Thanks for the info. I am little skeptical on whether the 25-30km reduction in distance will translate into time saved. Parappanagadi, Tanur, Tirur-Thazepalam jn are all crowded places and the roads are not very wide. When the traffic increases on this stretch, I expect these areas would become serious bottlenecks. I used to always take this route from Calicut to Tirur (via Feroke-Kadalundi when that road was in good shape) to avoid the NH traffic and in most cases the time taken would be same as the time taken via the NH although distance was 10km less.

But the view from the Kadalundi bridge is breath taking and I used to still take this route just for stopping a few min there and enjoying the serene view

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by Sunney

3. Also after Kannur, you can turn left to leave NH17 to parallel road to reach Dharmadam, just before Thalassery.

IMHO, it would be safer to stick to the main road itself. The roads are narrow, and there is heavy truck traffic. Since Dharmadom (Moidu) bridge is out of bounds for trucks, trucks take interior roads.

The traffic from Puthiyatheru to Chovva is usually horrible during day hours - if one is traveling during early hours, then there is no problem at all.

Originally Posted by Sunney

I am heard Payyannur-Calicut-Trichur highway is a nightmare now. Then better divert to interiors: normally low traffic, and panoramic, though slightly curved.

Interior roads are best avoided - Althouth they would have low traffic, the road surface is usually horrible, and would restrict your speed by a huge margin.

The road is awesome from Malaparamba (beginning of Calicut bypass) all they way to Kunnamkulam (not sure of the stretch from Kunnamkulam to Thrissur - I haven't been on that road for ages now). The only bad section is between Kuttipuram bridge to the point where the NH17 turns off from SH69.

I recently did Kozhikode (Eranhipalam) to Kodungallur in under 3 hours (started off from Kozhikode at 15:20 and was in Kodungallur by 18:00, including a 15 minute break at Kunnamkulam) - I did not speed more than 110kmph any where.

Kodungallur to Kozhikode was done in just a shade over 2 hours: started off at 05:50 and reached Kozhikode by 08:00.

[vrvarier]

We are driving down to Thirunelly temple starting from Bangalore on Sat morning. Can anyone please update the best route and raod conditions? Route with less potholes preferred, even though longer.

Thanks,
Venu.

[vsbabu]

Drove from Bangalore to Palakkad via the usual Hosur, Krishnagiri, Salem, Avinashi, Coimbatore route. Good roads till about Avinashi. From there to L&T, it is better than what it was 3 months ago. Not terrible like before - you just've to be able to get ahead of slow moving trucks. Lot more trucks on the road today than I've experienced before. I started at 12 noon from Silk Board. Reached Palakkad Junction (Chandranagar) at 5:15pm with a fuel stop in between.

To avoid Avinashi, I was planning to take Chengapally (take left at the end of 4 laned road before Avinashi), Tirupur, Palladam, Sulur, L&T. Since Avinashi road wasn't bad, no harm done!

From L&T exit to Walayar, roads are bad. From Walayar to Palakkad, roads are ok.