Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Route / Travel Queries (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/)

-   -   Bangalore - Chennai - Bangalore : Route Queries (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/22491-bangalore-chennai-bangalore-route-queries-282.html)

Hi All,

Am planning for a Chennai trip tomorrow. This will be my first family travel to Chennai by road and that too I’ll be starting the journey in the evening only. Requesting help in deciding the best route to take.

Tentative Start Time: 1630 hours or a little later
Starting Point: Yelahanka
Destination: Adayar
Passengers: 5 including elderly parents and a 3 year old kid

Looking for suggestions on best possible route to take, keeping in mind about decent/good restaurants and rest places for my parents and kid. Since this will be my first night time drive to Chennai, would ideally want to avoid routes with multiple diversions, lest I get lost.

Thanks in advance.

You have two choices to go. One via K.R.Puram/Hoskote/Chittoor and other via EC/Attibelle/Hosur.

Its easy to take ORR and join old madras road and drive, which is 40 kms less in distance, there is possibility that you may get lost near Ranipet.

So being your first time drive post dark and you are traveling with family/little kid/elderly parents, i suggest you stick to EC/Attibelle/Hosur/Krishnagiri route , that gives you plenty of options for break.

Last 100 kms will be with diversions in either route, so you can escape from that.

Since you are entering madras post peak hours around 9 pm or so, and for destination to Adayar, you can take Sriperumbudur-Kundrathur-Pallavaram-Guindy-Adayar , which will be faster with good roads.

-Ravi

Hi.

Has anyone taken Arakkonam > Tirutani > Chithoor route to Bangalore from Chennai?

It is tempting me to try the route, but due to higher travel time, I am avoiding that. If anyone has tried that, let me know how good it is compared to Sriperumbadur Ranipet route.

Thanks for this information.

Hi Chennai travelers, any input on this route from BLR - MAS? Last reference to this route in this thread is from Jan 2023. Any latest updates on the road conditions, eateries etc? I am thinking of trying this route to avoid the under-construction stretches and heavy traffic on the Ambur-Vellore-Sri Perumbudur route.

I recently traveled between Uthangarai -Tiruvannamalai Bypass on a different trip (i.e. not Bengaluru - Chennai) and 99% of it was fine two-lane road with paved shoulders. Gingee - Tindivanam is relatively decent too. Tindivanam - Chennai is busy as ever but will get you there fine.

Edit: You should check the Bengaluru - Pondicherry route thread where this route is often discussed. But I'm sure if there have been latest updates on this.

Hi, please refer to my post #4054 in this thread dated Jan-2023 for details. I had done this route then.

Each time take the Krishnagiri route I find a new reason to avoid the same. Unfortunately the Chittoor route is still not fit for night time travel.

This time it is the crazy rumble strips ( painted in yellow, the ones painted in white are better) which you MUST brake for if you dont want to judder, while many trucks come to a near stop in order to cross them.

I found them all the way from the Krishnagiri toll to Attibele post which anyway you have the insane speed breakers.

I really wish the NH40 concretization completes soon and there are more eateries and traffic and less dogs on the way so that I can shift to the Chittoor route for night drives too.

Chittoor route is complete and ready. You can safely do night drives on it. I have done it multiple times. I'm about to do one more tomorrow night.

Is the stretch at AP and TN border completed? Last time I went through it, about 10 months ago, that stretch was in tatters. Is that also completed? There was only a barricade to warn us of the inevitable.

Yes, it is complete. I have done this route in both day and night about five times in the last six months. The new 4-laned, concretized section in AP between KA border and Chittoor-bypass is also well-lit during night time.

The bad sections around Chittoor collectorate, CMC-Chitoor campus are all completed and good now.

The only section where I would advise caution during night-time is Chitoor bypass to Ranipet (via Serkadu, Thiruvalam). Roads are fine but not well-lit. Also, watch-out for the barricades around AP-TN border, near BHEL township etc. So, keep speeds reasonable (about 80kmph during night) and you'll be fine.

Ranipet-Chennai segment is anyways common with Krishnagiri route and remains the pain-point for travel between Chennai and Bangalore. Also, Krishnagiri route will have much more truck traffic during night compared to Chittoor route.

One point I notice is there is no plan for any bypass development for Ranipet town for the Chitoor-Ranipet 4-lane section. Add to it the expressway coming so close, I am not sure if there are any plans itself in the first place.

Ranipet Bypass is planned like in below image, the tender for this too was floated recently by NHAI. The plan is to completely 6 lane it from Walajahpet to AP Border, but then before this section gets completed most likely the Expressway would be ready.

I have completely stopped going via Walajahpet.




This is the typical route through Ranipet I take while doing Chitoor route (both directions). Never taken me more than 10-12 minutes to cross Ranipet in this route. The main railway overbridge is under widening. Hence this route goes via the railway overbridge near Scudder Memorial Hospital.

What are some of the good restaurants along the hosur-krishnagiri-Mettur stretch?