[tharian]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

It is mostly heavy all through the day. When I went to Chennai this weekend on the opposite side the jam from the junction extended all the way post the Rajiv Gandhi memorial junction at around 9 AM. So much that it actually impacted traffic on my side due to people waiting to take an u turn( illegal??). I guess it would be worse on a weekday.

I was part of that jam on 12/12 from around 530p and cleared it only by 715p. One of the worst jams made worse with bullies in SUV's with loud horns who try to push non-TN cars off the road or to the adjoining lane when there is already a jam.

Originally Posted by hamster

SBC-CHN Roadies,
We are planning for single day trip to Bangalore from Chennai this weekend.

While a lot has been said over the road conditions in the previous posts, is a epass/epass registration required for entering Bangalore from TN ?
In the TN side, I could see there is no requirement for epass, but a registration would do (https://eregister.tnega.org/#/user/pass ), which we will comply with.

Plan is a start at 5 AM on Saturday/Sunday, reach Whitefield Bangalore by 11:30, have a couple of chores to finish in Whitefield and Malleshwaram, are start by 5 PM from Bangalore to reach Chennai before midnight. Hope this is doable (fingers crossed)

Plan is also to stop for breakast and dinner at Sai Sangeet Vaniyambadi.
Any recent visits and suggestions would be helpful .

Any suggestions for a safe lunch (veg) in Bangalore in the stretch between Whitefield to Malleswaram is also highly appreciated.

Epass is not required to enter KA and there is no checking either.
You may want to put on the mask as well as others in the car when crossing borders as there was checking for that when I was going to Chennai last weekend via Chittoor on the AP border.

One day return is easily doable on the Krishnagiri route. Except for the traffic in the cities and while exiting, rest of the journey is peaceful. As mentioned in the previous posts, the road conditions on either directions from Chennasamudram toll to Chennai outskirts, is ridden with potholes, plus deviations for roadworks.

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by hamster

Any suggestions for a safe lunch (veg) in Bangalore in the stretch between Whitefield to Malleswaram is also highly appreciated.

If you are in a mood for a satvic lunch , then you can try lunch buffet at Sattvam near Sankey tank. It’s enroute to Malleshwaram and finding it is easy and I have found it to be clean. Else, there are so many places in Malleshwaram including 1947 restaurant or paakashala.

[csateesh]

Originally Posted by hamster

SBC-CHN Roadies,
We are planning for single day trip to Bangalore from Chennai this weekend.

While a lot has been said over the road conditions in the previous posts, is a epass/epass registration required for entering Bangalore from TN ?
In the TN side, I could see there is no requirement for epass, but a registration would do (https://eregister.tnega.org/#/user/pass ), which we will comply with.

Plan is a start at 5 AM on Saturday/Sunday, reach Whitefield Bangalore by 11:30, have a couple of chores to finish in Whitefield and Malleshwaram, are start by 5 PM from Bangalore to reach Chennai before midnight. Hope this is doable (fingers crossed)

Plan is also to stop for breakast and dinner at Sai Sangeet Vaniyambadi.
Any recent visits and suggestions would be helpful .

Any suggestions for a safe lunch (veg) in Bangalore in the stretch between Whitefield to Malleswaram is also highly appreciated.

For breakfast my recommendation would be Saravana Bhavan before Meenakshi Hospital around Kanchipuram (https://goo.gl/maps/R3qG2AKoGBxZa4UMA) or the one in Vellore near DhinaThanthi office (https://goo.gl/maps/J7vyLRf3J1byzvCUA)

For lunch options (veg) in Bangalore would recommend CTR in Malleshwaram or Sattvam opposite Shell in Sadashivnagar (https://g.page/sattvam-restaurant-bangalore?share) Hope you have a wonderful drive

Pls. update the status after you drive

[hamster]

Any updates on the route condition on Hosur-Bagalur-Sarjapur-Whitefield.

Used to avoid the tolls in Attibele and BETL by taking this stretch for quiet a few years now.
The last time I took this in November 2019, from Bagalur, it was quiet bumpy with potholes even in the TN side of Bagalur - Sarjapur which used to a bliss earlier.

From Sarjapur to Varthur, it was potholes + construction truck traffic, making it exhausting.

[binand]

Originally Posted by hamster

Any updates on the route condition on Hosur-Bagalur-Sarjapur-Whitefield.

Whitefield-Dommasandra is average- in my opinion. Till Virginia Mall junction it is OK, from there till Gunjur it is narrow, pothole-ridden and has heavy traffic. Beyond that traffic lightens and road condition improves (and you can even hope for 4-laning sometime in this decade).

Dommasandra-Sarjapur was recently widened and is good. Except for the short stretch that is through Sarjapur's CBD area, it is all fine. If you don't get stuck at the tight curves within Sarjapur you are doing quite well.

Beyond Sarjapur once you cross the junction where the Chikka Tirupati road branches off, traffic goes to near-zero. It is a pleasure from here on.

The point where you cross into TN (where there are barricades etc.) - you turn right for the shortest, nicest road to Hosur. This is a good road with hardly any traffic, that meanders through some villages and joins NH 648 a couple of km shy of its junction with NH 44 in Hosur. The big unknown is the traffic on this final 2km - it could be gridlocked or worse depending on time of day and other factors. At its end you enter NH 44 and enjoy the GQ road.

You can alternatively not turn right at the KA-TN border towards Hosur; instead go further ahead to take inner district roads that pass through Bagalur-Berigai-Soolagiri. All great roads barely 1.5 bus wide; very little traffic except at settlements and lovely to drive on. Just that at Soolagiri Google Maps took me through some very narrow lanes which were a pain to navigate.

[babu.sundaram]

Any feedback on road condition between Chennasamudram and Sriperumpudur?

Meanwhile, HC intervened to reduce tolls due to bad roads (This section has been a pain for a while now, NHAI needs to do fix!).

https://www.rushlane.com/nhai-toll-f...-12386344.html

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/79767776.cms

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by babu.sundaram

Any feedback on road condition between Chennasamudram and Sriperumpudur?

Here's a sneak peek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fijggl173Zk

Chennasamudram is still collecting full toll based on few people who've passed recently.

[anandhsub]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Chennasamudram is still collecting full toll based on few people who've passed recently.

I did a round trip this weekend and no toll was collected while going to Chennai. They did collect the full toll on the way back. I guess this is a better system than collecting half the toll.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Here's a sneak peek

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=fijggl173Zk

Chennasamudram is still collecting full toll based on few people who've passed recently.

My goodness. Why is toll collection even being allowed on this stretch. If anything, its the toll operator who should be paying for fixing the suspension and alignment issues of vehicles running on these roads.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

I did a round trip this weekend and no toll was collected while going to Chennai. They did collect the full toll on the way back.

3 acquaintances have passed since last Saturday and only one said that toll wasn't collected enroute Bangalore. So each day the experience is different.

Post Nivar, Mudichur-Manimangalam shows up as the default route from my place.

Am about to find it out by tomorrow both ways

[sai_ace]

I passed by the Chennasamudram Toll on 2nd Dec. There was no toll collected - rightfully so. The road was atrocious. But post that, easily one of the best stretches ever right till Hosur.

[csateesh]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Here's a sneak peek
Chennasamudram is still collecting full toll based on few people who've passed recently.

Sneak peek is definitely not confidence inspiring. Driving this stretch in the night is definitely not advisable !! Is there a way to collectively represent ourselves to MoRTH. Am sure Hon'ble Nitin Gadarki could help. But it is

How is it in front of Hyundai Factory ? This was always the worst (starting from Kanchipuram intersection)

Originally Posted by anandhsub

I did a round trip this weekend and no toll was collected while going to Chennai. They did collect the full toll on the way back. I guess this is a better system than collecting half the toll.

Is the road condition different heading to Chennai compared to the return journey or does someone decided what should be collected what shouldn't be on a daily basis

Originally Posted by sai_ace

I passed by the Chennasamudram Toll on 2nd Dec. There was no toll collected - rightfully so. The road was atrocious. But post that, easily one of the best stretches ever right till Hosur.

Good to hear that but if that section takes too much of time then overall travel times will be impacted

Can someone tell me how much would it take say from Maduravoyal to Chennasamudram during morning times ?

[sameer sultan]

Hi

I am driving down to Bangalore from Chennai tomorrow morning. My location in Bangalore would be near Ulsoor Lake.

Per Google Maps the time taken on OMR is about 20 mins more than Hosur Road.

Anyone travelled recently on OMR? I want to know the Road conditions between Ranipet and Palamner. Last I drove on this route in Dec 2018 the roads were still under construction. Only after Palamner 4 lane was there. Any update would be appreciated.

A bit confused on which route to take!

[narayans80]

Just returned back. Took Vandalur-Walajabad-Military Road onward and took the straight route till Outer Ring Road till return.

Vandalur-Walajabad is in fantastic shape. All the road constructions are now done now. From Walajabad onwards, part of the route is in tatters. There are some potholes in Military Road and 1-2 broken sections on SH-143 as well. On the onward was deducted 25 Rs. at Chennasamudram.

On the return, wanted to take Sriperumbudur-Oragadam route and ended up overshooting it and continued all the way till Outer Ring Road. Chennasamudram toll all boom barriers were open, will see for a couple of days no toll is deducted.

So how was the road condition you may ask

1. Firstly, its no way as bad as 2015-2016.
2. There are patched up sections and there are some sections that are relaid.
3. There are potholes, but nothing really rim breaking level bad. My S-Cross sailed through all of them at 80-90. Few hatchbacks passed me, about 10-20 kmph faster.
4. These were between 2300 and 0015 at night.
5. There were some diversions, which looked like bridge work. But why bridge work where there is no intersections, I have no idea.
6. There are in fact potholes on Hosur-Krishnagiri and vice versa. Few more past Ambur for about 3-4 km.

Overall as of today, it is very much doable even under artificial lights. You may have to back off on pace and stick to 2 digit speeds

[letsgo2016]

Hey all, I am planning for BLR to MAA on 25th Dec morning at 7am. So the last 4 years when I was doing round trips from BLR to MAA via my puny Alto 800, I used to visit my vendor who is at Ambur (on the very highway) who has got a swanky Factory with proper facilities so our eateries / bio breaks were in this place. Recently I moved to a different company and though this vendor is friendly, I need to avoid going there so I am on a lookout for one stop anywhere from Ambur to Arcot for a Bio Break / Some Pitstop where we can eat home cooked / packed food. Understand we can stop near any tree and eat in the car itself but trust me the car is so cramped that we can't peacefully eat inside with a toddler. Please can someone suggest good pitstop considering the above situation.

A couple of years back I used to frequent A2B at Arcot, which had good washroom facilities and food was neat as well. Not sure about now. Thanks in advance.