[ampere]

Originally Posted by raju2512

Instead you can also continue on the same road instead of turning right along the bye pass. The route is Anakaputhur., Pammal , Pallavaram. The road is good but heavy local traffic will be there during peak hours

If Tiruneeramalai road access to GST has less traffic, that would be definitely preferable. If you enter heavy local traffic the time advantage is lost. Let me once try the GST access at the Olympia construction.

[prabhuferrari]

Originally Posted by luvurride

I think it will be the same distance as the Manimangalam route, but not having to go through Mudichur and join Tambaram would swing in its favor. Hence probably the shortest! Thanks for pointing out, I'll give it a shot! I hope the turn-offs are marked. And how do we get to cross the bye-pass?

I had been to chennai last week via Manimangalam. From Sriperumbudur to Velachery it took me 50 mins. The road is bad only for 2 kms at the beginning. From Tambaram I went to chrompet and took the road to pallikaranai and then velachery. I have tried the kundrathur route. Lots of speed breakers I feel. Not sure if I can reach Velachery in same time. Shyam can confirm it.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

I had been to chennai last week via Manimangalam. From Sriperumbudur to Velachery it took me 50 mins. The road is bad only for 2 kms at the beginning. From Tambaram I went to chrompet and took the road to pallikaranai and then velachery. I have tried the kundrathur route. Lots of speed breakers I feel. Not sure if I can reach Velachery in same time. Shyam can confirm it.

- Did you take the the direct route via Manimangalam or via Oragadam?
- How is the traffic through Mudichur
- Do you go into Tamabaram to latch on to GST?
- Or you take the Chennai bypass and exit through Tiruneelamalai road on continue on the 100 feet road?

[prabhuferrari]

Originally Posted by ampere

- Did you take the the direct route via Manimangalam or via Oragadam?
- How is the traffic through Mudichur
- Do you go into Tamabaram to latch on to GST?
- Or you take the Chennai bypass and exit through Tiruneelamalai road?

Yes I took via Manimangalam. SH110.

For first few kms I was on 40's and post that till Mudichur could maintain 70-90's. Mudichur Tambaram was bit slow but not standstill or unmanageable

I went all the way till Tambaram, took left on the flyover and got down before tambaram bus stand. Little traffic there but again manageable.

I did not take the bypass.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=K...a=1,3&t=m&z=13

[scorpion07]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Yes I took via Manimangalam. SH110.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=K...a=1,3&t=m&z=13

Just wanted to post that I drove up and down to Bangalore (on 9th Apr) and was back to Chennai on 17th Apr so it helps anyone going through this route.

Onward (Chennai to Blr - on 9th Apr) :
The route I took was Thiruvanmiyur-Pallavaram link road-GST Road-Tambaram-Mudichur-Sriperumbudur-Kanchipuram-Vellore-Krishnagiri-Hosur-Bangalore.

Started at 5.15 AM and was in Domlur at 11.15 AM. Driving was very smooth till Kanchipuram - after which there was massive 6 laning work going on everywhere all the way till Hosur. Diversions galore almost every 5-6 km. Since I started early this was a breeze mostly. Took 1 bio break for 15 min.

Return (Blr to Chennai - on 17th Apr)

Started at 11.30 AM and was in Thiruvaminyur at 7 PM.

Same route back - used the GPS on my mobile to let me know at what point should I take the Sriperumbudur route from NH45, and I was able to get onto it at around 4.45 PM. However the moment I touched Mudichur there was only 1 lane and hence was delayed for quite awhile. Also around Manimangalam there was a detour due to some temple ceremony and had to take a detour. By the time I touched GST it was 6 PM ! Finally the icing on the cake was I missed the Pallavaram link and had to go all the way through Kathipara, Saidapet to reach Guindy-OMR-Thiruvanmiyur !! Big bummer.

Better to avoid driving the NH45 and NH7 due to the 6 laning work especially at night or early morning, even though there are enough safety signboards to guide.

A big thumbs up to the Mudichur-Tambaram road which gets you onto NH45 avoiding all the she-bang at Porur/Poonamallee road. Good scenic drive with green fields (at this time of the year when water scarcity abounds and the heat is on) and lakes to view.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Yes I took via Manimangalam. SH110.

Originally Posted by scorpion07

Just wanted to post that I drove up and down to Bangalore (on 9th Apr) and was back to Chennai on 17th Apr so it helps anyone going through this route.

Guys. I was thinking again on this :

- When does this alternative really become effective?
- Most times when I start by 3/4/5 AM from Bangalore, it takes me at most at an hour from Sriperumbudur to Kathipara.
- So just wondering when does the alternative route help?

I have never gotten stuck on Porur road. At most 5-10 minutes at the Arcot road signal. Poonamallee is a pain agreed. But there is a bypass for the same.
Route Link

Thanks to @luvuride. I used it last time and it works like a charm.


- If destination is way beyond Kathipara then yes I agree. But Velachery and similar places, route via Kathipara/Nanganallur should be easy right ?
Am I missing some thing here?

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by ampere

Guys. I was thinking again on this :

- When does this alternative really become effective?

- If destination is way beyond Kathipara then yes I agree. But Velachery and similar places, route via Kathipara/Nanganallur should be easy right ?
Am I missing some thing here?

Off peak hours shouldn't make much of a difference. Also, if you are driving into the city, this route doesn't make sense.

But there are 2 compelling reasons to take this route:

1. Peak hours ofcourse, where every bloody junction is choc-a-bloc. The Porur road will be a pain with so many signals enroute.

2. During the last year or so, I've observed that the Sriperumbudur-Poonamallee stretch has heavy traffic. It takes atleast about 30-45 mins to get through this stretch of 25 kms, which is pretty bad figure for a 4-lane carriageway.

So I think it'll be safe to say that during peak hours when one wants to get to the South/East/South-East suburbs of Chennai, then these alternate routes are recommended.

[shyamk]

I used to leave early morning or late afternoons from Velachery towards Bangalore. The problem was those damn company buses till Sriperumbadur which would compete for road space along with the trucks.

Hence, I use the Kundrathur route all the time. Later afternoon times are a pain in the Velachery-Tambaram road. Hence, I have always used the Kundrathur route.

In general, it takes me 45-50 minutes from Velachery MRTS station till Sriperumbadur Rajiv Gandhi memorial.

Shyam

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shyamk

I used to leave early morning or late afternoons from Velachery towards Bangalore. The problem was those damn company buses till Sriperumbadur which would compete for road space along with the trucks.

Hence, I use the Kundrathur route all the time. Later afternoon times are a pain in the Velachery-Tambaram road. Hence, I have always used the Kundrathur route.

I mostly do early mornings from Bangalore. And late/early afternoons from
Chennai. I just make sure I dont get caught up in the weekend return traffic on Krishnagiri-Hosur sector.

May be on the return I should try this route. I see traffic mostly till Kanchi after which it thins out.

[rkrpxz]

Folks,

I am planning to drive to Chennai for the day on Monday (13th May 2013). I have never driven to Chennai before. I live in Malleswaram/Rajajinagar (near ISKCON) and need to reach the US Consulate. What is the best route in terms of the time it would take (door-to-door)? From the posts in this thread, it appears that going by road is slower than taking the train, which is a bit surprising.

Google Maps shows me two alternatives:
AH45: Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Ambur - Vellore - Chennai
NH4: Bangalore - Hoskote - Kolar - Mulbagal - Chittoor - Chennai

The two routes seem to meet somewhere near Wallajah.

I would really appreciate any help that I can get from this forum.

Thanks in advance

[ampere]

Originally Posted by rkrpxz

I am planning to drive to Chennai for the day on Monday (13th May 2013). I have never driven to Chennai before. I live in Malleswaram/Rajajinagar (near ISKCON) and need to reach the US Consulate. What is the best route in terms of the time it would take (door-to-door)? From the posts in this thread, it appears that going by road is slower than taking the train, which is a bit surprising.

- I hope you have some location where you can park the car safely with your stuff. Because parking around that region is painfull.
- Typically Silk Board to Kathipara takes about 5.5 to 6 hours with a break.
- Road is good in spite of diversions.

[Shanksta]

Hey rkrpxz the best route would be via Hosur AH-45 because if I remember correctly NH-4 becomes a dual carriage-way after Hoskote. Plus AH-45 is safe and stress free.

Note: After you cross Hosur you need take a left towards Chennai it is marked so no worries. Also there is some work going on along the NH at various points,diversions are clearly marked. Also be careful when you are driving past Krishnagiri and Ambur, folks there have a bad habit coming the wrong way on the fast lane!!!
Have a safe trip and wear your seatbelt. It should roughly take you about 5 hours.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by rkrpxz

Folks,

I am planning to drive to Chennai for the day on Monday (13th May 2013). I have never driven to Chennai before. I live in Malleswaram/Rajajinagar (near ISKCON) and need to reach the US Consulate. What is the best route in terms of the time it would take (door-to-door)? From the posts in this thread, it appears that going by road is slower than taking the train, which is a bit surprising.

Google Maps shows me two alternatives:
AH45: Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Ambur - Vellore - Chennai
NH4: Bangalore - Hoskote - Kolar - Mulbagal - Chittoor - Chennai

The two routes seem to meet somewhere near Wallajah.

I would really appreciate any help that I can get from this forum.

Thanks in advance

Since you are looking for best route in terms of TIME, being a monday, i would suggest you to take NH4 route. The distance is also bit shorter compared to AH45. Moreover, there are very less tolls in this route and you won't spend much time in waiting in long queues in the tolls, which is the major disadvantage in AH45 in terms of time.

As you are starting from Iskcon/Rajaji Nagar, the distance for you to exit Bangalore city is almost same & no big difference.

However, if you are not comfortable in driving in 2 Lane roads for about a distance of 130+ kms (Mulbagal to Ranipet), better take AH45 which is 4L/6L now and road conditions are good throughout.

But i can tell you from my experience, FE wise, time wise and saving toll money wise NH4 is best.

-Ravi

[rkrpxz]

Thanks to all those who responded to my query. I was keeping the "driving to Chennai" option as a backup in case my Tatkal reservation effort did not materialize. But, incredibly, with a bit of effort and a lot of luck, we got 3 tickets on the night train, so I will defer my plans to drive to Chennai to another day.

Thanks again.

[kousik]

I did a quick dash to Chennai yesterday - started at 4:30am from Marathalli and was back home for a late dinner, starting around 3:15 from Marina beach. Followed AH45 throughout. Should have bypassed Poonamalli (heavy traffic) and Anna Salai (metro work). A word of caution is every 5/6 kms there would be a diversion to avoid under construction flyovers which takes the pleasure out, especially if you're behind a truck, for a kilometer you're doing 10 kmph. I noticed double journey tolls are really a bargain (so next time I'll carry a pin or paper clip to hold the receipts (in reverse order)), and I successfully returned a packet of biscuits for the same price which they gave me during onward journey as they didn't have 5/_ change. Also in a few stretches there are new unpainted surface, and hence you can't follow a lane, in darkness it is a little dangerous because during turns it becomes hard to stay in lane.