[kousik]

Going to Ooty, but because of some constraint I am planning to leave Bangalore as late as possible. So questions are (1) what time Sigur/Kalahatti ghat road closes for upward traffic? (2) what time Bandipur gate closes for traffic? The answers will help me back calculate how much late I can be starting from Bangalore. Reaching Ooty for a late dinner is the target.

[mpksuhas]

Bandipur closes at 9PM as per my understanding Kalahatti also closes at same time. However once I was stopped at 8:30 PM saying it closes at 8. Guess it may be a tactic to get money. However after a debate they let through.
If you are considering Bangalore- Mysore SH do factor peak hour traffic at Mandya which may slow you down a bit.

[FuelInjector]

Kousik

If you are planning to be in ooty for dinner, don't think you need to worry about closing of roads as you would cross the ghat sections late afternoon I believe. But the Bandipur post closes at 9 pm and would suggest its better to avoid driving late through it. Have spotted leopards and Gaurs on the road when it was daylight. So better to avoid.
Another route slightly longer would be via Salem.. Erode.. Annur..metupalayam..coonoor and ooty. It's a sweet fast drive till metupalayam. In this route you would need not worry about any ghat section getting closed I believe.

Cheers

[Joseph]

Going to Ooty on Saturday, From Bangalore. Need advice on latest road conditions.

Thank you,
Joseph

[carfreak77]

Guys, Im planning on driving to Mysore from Bangalore this weekend (1 day trip) and would like to know if the highway is divided or undivided? and what is the road condition from bangalore to mysore? I do not know the road from Bangalore to Mysore as I am new here. Therefore, I would be taking the route from Google Maps posted below. Please also tell me if this is the best route for me to take. Thanks in advance.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I...ra=ls&t=m&z=10

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by carfreak77

Guys, Im planning on driving to Mysore from Bangalore this weekend (1 day trip) and would like to know if the highway is divided or undivided? and what is the road condition from bangalore to mysore? I do not know the road from Bangalore to Mysore as I am new here. Therefore, I would be taking the route from Google Maps posted below. Please also tell me if this is the best route for me to take. Thanks in advance.

The highway is divided and is a 4-lane highway (2 on either side) with quite decent quality of tar maintenance. You'll hardly find any potholes at all on this road, but there are quite a few speed-breakers between Bangalore and Mysore. Also, another annoying factor is the high traffic density on this stretch, owing to high tourist activity along this highway (Mysore road connects to many tourist destinations like Coorg/Wayanad, etc). However, since you are not familiar with these areas, I'd suggest you to stick to this same route. There are lots of fuel pumps, restaurants and anything else you might otherwise need in an unfamiliar place. Have a great trip!

P.S - try to avoid returning to Bangalore on a Sunday evening. The traffic density can get far more chaotic than inside the city. There's a whole thread dedicated to rants against that
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...re-sunday.html

[carfreak77]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The highway is divided and is a 4-lane highway (2 on either side) with quite decent quality of tar maintenance. You'll hardly find any potholes at all on this road, but there are quite a few speed-breakers between Bangalore and Mysore. Also, another annoying factor is the high traffic density on this stretch, owing to high tourist activity along this highway (Mysore road connects to many tourist destinations like Coorg/Wayanad, etc). However, since you are not familiar with these areas, I'd suggest you to stick to this same route. There are lots of fuel pumps, restaurants and anything else you might otherwise need in an unfamiliar place. Have a great trip!

P.S - try to avoid returning to Bangalore on a Sunday evening. The traffic density can get far more chaotic than inside the city. There's a whole thread dedicated to rants against that
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...re-sunday.html

Thank you so much for a detailed reply. I have another quick question. Would it be better for me to take the route posted above (via SH17) or should I take the NH209 followed by SH33 route? Which road is in better shape?
I will definitely try and return by early evening after reading the thread you directed me to! Thanks!

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by carfreak77

Thank you so much for a detailed reply. I have another quick question. Would it be better for me to take the route posted above (via SH17) or should I take the NH209 followed by SH33 route? Which road is in better shape?
I will definitely try and return by early evening after reading the thread you directed me to! Thanks!

Here's a route map of what you are trying to consider as an alternative:
https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...sz=11&t=m&z=10

I don't know which area of Bangalore you are planning to enter NH-209 from, but if you're planning on coming through the city, the area from B to C (refer to map) is under metro construction with narrow roads + very bad roads due to last month's rains.

The stretch from C to D is in fantastic shape (since it is part of the NH), but the Malavalli - Maddur route (D to E) is again patchy and pothole-ridden now. If you don't mind the detour, you can try this second route , but be prepared for traffic jams when you approach the city on return direction. Try taking NICE road to other corners of the city if your hotel is approachable through that.

NH-209 is a single lane highway with tons of greenery all around and not much traffic, while the SH17 (Mysore road) is a more modernized, commercialized road full of traffic, eateries, factories and what not. If you're leaving early morning, you can try that green route when going and come back via Mysore road, just for variety.

[kala]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Here's a route map of what you are trying to consider as an alternative:
https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...sz=11&t=m&z=10

Don't think that was the one he was referring to. SH33 connects Mysore to Malavalli via Bannur - not via Maddur.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I don't know which area of Bangalore you are planning to enter NH-209 from, but if you're planning on coming through the city, the area from B to C (refer to map) is under metro construction with narrow roads + very bad roads due to last month's rains.

Looks like BMRCL has done some patchwork on the roads under the Metro construction area (at least in parts near Yelachanahalli), so the roads seem to be slightly better now. But the traffic on that stretch can be a killer.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The stretch from C to D is in fantastic shape (since it is part of the NH), but the Malavalli - Maddur route (D to E) is again patchy and pothole-ridden now.

Instead of the Malavalli-Maddur-SH17 route, I'd suggest that he takes SH33 via Bannur. The road (two-lane single-carriageway) is quite good in most parts except for a couple of kms around Bannur town. Traffic is quite low compared to SH17, but even this road has unmarked speedbreakers near villages, so need to be careful about that.

As far as road condition and facilities like eateries / gas stations etc are concerned, SH17 would be the better option (except for the crazy number of speedbreakers you have along the way). But as @Karthik mentioned in an earlier message, the traffic on this road can be absolutely crazy during evenings on weekends. That is the time when the SH33 / NH209 combo becomes a really attractive proposition.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by carfreak77

Would it be better for me to take the route posted above (via SH17) or should I take the NH209 followed by SH33 route? Which road is in better shape?

I would suggest you take SH17 (Mysore Road) when going to Mysore since this is the first time and there will be no confusion plus lots of options on the way for food/breaks.
If you start early say by 5am, you can mostly avoid the heavy traffic on this route.
For your return journey, try the SH33 + NH209 route -> (SH33) Mysore-Bannur - (NH209) Malavalli-Kanakapura-Bangalore. Note the town names so that you can take the correct turns on this route.
NICE road connects both Kanakapura Road and Mysore Road so that may help you in getting to SH17 and NH209 depending on where in Bangalore you stay.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by kala

Don't think that was the one he was referring to. SH33 connects Mysore to Malavalli via Bannur - not via Maddur.

Instead of the Malavalli-Maddur-SH17 route, I'd suggest that he takes SH33 via Bannur. The road (two-lane single-carriageway) is quite good in most parts except for a couple of kms around Bannur town. Traffic is quite low compared to SH17, but even this road has unmarked speedbreakers near villages, so need to be careful about that.

Oops! my bad. I thought he was referring to the SH33 stretch from Malavalli to Maddur and rejoin SH17 there. I know many people who do this route (NH-209 till Malavalli and then rejoin SH17 at Maddur) for the sake of avoiding the traffic mess near Rajarajeshwari nagar and Kengeri. The route via Bannur is good, I guess that will be a greener and quiter option. Thanks for updating the conditions on that stretch.

Looks like BMRCL has done some patchwork on the roads under the Metro construction area (at least in parts near Yelachanahalli), so the roads seem to be slightly better now. But the traffic on that stretch can be a killer. A real pain. Since he is doing this route for the first time and is not familiar with these areas, I'd go with NPV's suggestion - stick to SH17 in spite of all the traffic woes.

Anjanapura to Banashankari takes a minimum of 1-1.5 hours on weekend evenings, really frustrating stuff. I sometimes head out for late night dinners at highway Dhabas on NH-209, and the traffic is really bad near that metro stretch even at unearthly hours. I'd go with NPV's suggestion - since he is unfamiliar with these areas and the local language, Mysore road will be the best option in spite of all the traffic woes. Irrespective of the road used, using NICE is highly recommended

[ravib]

One more suggestion/tip.

Incase, if anyone is opting to take NH209 to reach bangalore on their return journey, if you happen to ask locals for direction on the way, never ask for the final destination 'Bangalore' route, because most of the time, they usually direct you to SH17 (via Maddur) which you might wanted to avoid actually. Better ask for Kanakapura always and once you reach Kanakapura, then you can continue to reach Bangalore either via RajaRajeshwari Nagar/Mysore Road route or NICE Road.

-Ravi

[sumannandy]

Avoid going to Ooty via Gudalur for now. It took us 3 hours from Bandipur to Ooty after 7 p.m. In some places before Gudalur, there is no road. After Gudalur, for every turn you take on the way up, the tires may land up in a ditch. It would be better in daylight though, but at times we had to restrict our speed to 20 kmph for climb.

Bangalore - Salem - SH15 - Kotagiri - Connor - Ooty route is awesome. Its about 50 kms more, but took us 6 hours from Kotagiri to Bangalore.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

Bangalore - Salem - SH15 - Kotagiri - Connor - Ooty route is awesome. Its about 50 kms more, but took us 6 hours from Kotagiri to Bangalore.

Thanks for the update.
Confused looking at gmaps - could you elaborate on the route to SH15 from Salem ?

[sumannandy]

salem - NH47 - Mettupalayam - SH15 - Kotagiri - Ooty. Although the normal route is Mettupalayam - Coonoor - Ooty.