[narayans80]

Originally Posted by aquarian1502

Any route suggestions to reach Mahabalipuram from JP Nagar 7th Phase, Bangalore ?

NICE-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Kanchipuram 76th km exit-Military Road-Walajabad-Chengalpattu-Mahabalipuram. This is the shortest route Google will take you through. Check the previous page for kdadi's post-trip update (post 3097).

[pgrcrazy]

Did the Chennai - Bangalore - Chennai route yesterday and I felt that there are a lot less barricades now than before (did this stretch two years ago). The roads between sriperambadur and ranipet tolls are much better as well. I personally find the flashing lights better than the barricades and i hope these barricades will be removed completely from this stretch. Also worth mentioning is that the CCD at the 170ish milestone from Chennai is much better than the one that comes right after Vellore.

[Mukund]

Just reached Chennai. Had to come towards Tambaram, so took the Manimangalam route after Sriperumbudur.
Started at 4.40am, had breakfast at Murugan Idly Shop after Chennasamudram Toll at 7.30. Reached Tambaram by 9.20.
At the risk of repeating what others have already stated in this thread, roads are great(smooth 6 till the Chennasamudram toll, then go bad, 4 lanes with potholes and traffic. Dedicated Fasttag lanes in every toll and all of them working.
Will be returning from Guindy by noon (4 pm).

[procrj]

Originally Posted by aquarian1502

Any route suggestions to reach Mahabalipuram from JP Nagar 7th Phase, Bangalore ?

Originally Posted by narayans80

NICE-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Kanchipuram 76th km exit-Military Road-Walajabad-Chengalpattu-Mahabalipuram. This is the shortest route Google will take you through.

IMHO the Kanchi - Walajabad - Chengalpattu route is a pain because of the trucks and relatively high traffic. Sriperumbudur - Manimangalam - Vandalur - Kelambakkam - Kovalam for me is a better route as traffic volume is lower, lesser bottlenecks (kelambakkam signal) and though longer by 20 odd kms, it takes as much time or can be faster than the former. Added incentive is the short drive on ECR with the bay on one side.

Route - https://goo.gl/maps/iRyTsHPLNDA2

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by procrj

Sriperumbudur - Manimangalam - Vandalur - Kelambakkam - Kovalam

I think he's a newbie, that's the reason I mentioned the route with the least question marks. Also GMaps navigates through the route.

* The Sriperumbudur U-turn is now closed, you now have to goto the other end of the Sriperumbudur to make the U-turn. And that turn itself is a bottleneck, both in and out.

* Mudichur-Mannivakkam turn isn't marked coming from Manimangalam, which is what you meant I think. Mudichur-Tambaram and Tambaram-Perugulathur-Vandalur are perennial pain in the rear.

If extra distance is not a problem, the best of the lot is Sunguvarchatram-SH120-SH48-Oragadam-Padappai-Vandalur overbridge-Kelambakkam-Kovalam-Mahabs. For this you have to make GMaps cry for quite sometime Bypasses everything except the Kelambakam bottleneck and left turn at Vandalur Zoo.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by narayans80

* The Sriperumbudur U-turn is now closed, you now have to goto the other end of the Sriperumbudur to make the U-turn. And that turn itself is a bottleneck, both in and out.

You mean the U-Turn at the town fork close to Gandhi memorial is now closed? Does one need to go further up?

[binand]

Originally Posted by narayans80

* The Sriperumbudur U-turn is now closed, you now have to goto the other end of the Sriperumbudur to make the U-turn.

Originally Posted by ampere

You mean the U-Turn at the town fork close to Gandhi memorial is now closed?

I have this question too. Just to be clear, I created this schematic:



The U-turn marked in the picture is what we are talking about. Your post seems to indicate that it is closed now, so one has to go to the other end of Sriperumbudur to take a U-turn. Are we right? In which case, what is stopping us from turning left at this junction, making a 3-point turn and returning to the highway onto the service road?

[Makin Rulesz]

Originally Posted by binand

I have this question too. Just to be clear, I created this schematic:

Attachment 1839475

The U-turn marked in the picture is what we are talking about. Your post seems to indicate that it is closed now, so one has to go to the other end of Sriperumbudur to take a U-turn. Are we right? In which case, what is stopping us from turning left at this junction, making a 3-point turn and returning to the highway onto the service road?

I took that U turn marked by you on 16th evening while returning to Chennai and did not see any restrictions.

[prabhuferrari]

How is the fog situation right now for early morning drives? I plan to start early in the morning from Chennai tomorrow. I nowadays take pallikonda Gudiyatham palamner as my office is near Bagalur cross. Used to take flights but morning flights are a hit or miss these days due to the fog in Bangalore airport. Are the hills near Gudiyattam and Palamner known for fog?

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by binand

The U-turn marked in the picture is what we are talking about.

The direct turn and the U-turn near the Rajiv Gandhi memorial too was closed on 28-Dec (another friend who drove 1st week January also had similar experience). The next U-turn was all the way on the other end of Sriperumbudur bypass.

[NPV]

Need some help for a Chennai drive:
1. Is Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam marked correctly on gmaps ? While address on gmaps says TTK Road, the map says "Mowbrays Road", are both the same ?

2. Route - early morning drive, so planning to take the Mount Road-Bharatidasan Road turn off to reach Ethiraja (if correctly marked on gmaps!)

3. Any recommended/trusted petrol pumps nearby in Alwarpet ? I remember an IOC near Woodlands hotel and a BP on Luz Church Road (probably this one will be closer to Ethiraja ?)

[hserus]

Same place - those of us who call the city Madras still say Mowbrays Road.

The Woodlands bunk isn't bad and neither is the BP.

Originally Posted by NPV

Need some help for a Chennai drive:
1. Is Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam marked correctly on gmaps ? While address on gmaps says TTK Road, the map says "Mowbrays Road", are both the same ?

2. Route - early morning drive, so planning to take the Mount Road-Bharatidasan Road turn off to reach Ethiraja (if correctly marked on gmaps!)

3. Any recommended/trusted petrol pumps nearby in Alwarpet ? I remember an IOC near Woodlands hotel and a BP on Luz Church Road (probably this one will be closer to Ethiraja ?)

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by NPV

3. Any recommended/trusted petrol pumps nearby in Alwarpet ? I remember an IOC near Woodlands hotel and a BP on Luz Church Road (probably this one will be closer to Ethiraja ?)

There are 3:

1. Bharat Petroleum on St. Mary's Road - This is 1st right on Mowbrays Road turning left from Chamiers Road at Adyar Gate/Park Sheraton/(now) Crowne Plaza. Pump is about 100 meters from the right turn. It is big and prominent and you won't miss it.

2. Bharat Petroleum on Mount Road - Just past (about 50-100m) Cenotaph Road intersection on Mount Road. You can get to you destination by taking a left at Nandanam signal into Chamiers Road and left at Adyar Gate/Park Sheraton/(now) Crowne Plaza (this is the second signal on Chamiers Road from Nandanam).

3. Ekayars on Venkatanarayana Road, T. Nagar - This pump is highly recommended. We've been filling here for more than 3 decades now. However is 2 km away from your destination.

Route - early morning drive, so planning to take the Mount Road-Bharatidasan Road

Before 8 should be a breeze.

TTK Road, the map says "Mowbrays Road", are both the same ?

Yes. Alwarpet has quite a lot of renames like this. There are 2 other old names I've mentioned in my response above

[ravib]

Originally Posted by hserus

Same place - those of us who call the city Madras still say Mowbrays Road.

Haha, We still have few people who prefer to call it as Madras than Chennai. (narayan, me and i see you too now).

I read it somewhere, "Madras is an emotion, Chennai is a city". Its true indeed.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...le20848928.ece

Sorry for

-Ravi

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by ravib

Haha, We still have few people who prefer to call it as Madras than Chennai. (narayan, me and i see you too now).

I read it somewhere, "Madras is an emotion, Chennai is a city". Its true indeed.
Sorry for

-Ravi

Some time back I asked for directions to 'General Patters Road" - to a Traffic Sarge on the side of Express Avenue. He pleaded that he had never heard of such a road in Madras and one of his constables approached him and said 'he is asking for GP road sir'.

Yes. I am one of the few left who continue to call the cities and streets by their original names. BTW, GP road is still called as General Patters Road as per the corporation name board there.


Sorry for off topic rant.