[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by commonman

Those who do not want to pay the toll, please use the service road. It is ridiculous that people is fighting against good roads. There exists no excuse. Another aspect is in Bangalore, people are happy to pay NICE road toll.. Isn't it all a hilarious scenario.?

I think you cannot go on service road throughout to Mysore, parallel to the expressway. There are no connections at railway crosses for service roads and also for a few bridges. So the use of service road is seamless only for short distances, not for the entire stretch to Mysore.

People are not fighting against good roads, people are fighting against the high toll prices - read ~250/-.

NICE road I believe is a private property whereas NH is not. It is built on a land acquired and road built with taxpayers money.

[GeeTee TSI]

I took the Airavat on Saturday night (to Calicut) with a 22:35 departure from Shantinagar and 01:30 (sharp!) arrival at Mysore bus stand, the door to door duration being quite a feat thanks to the new expressway.

The ride was smooth (of course the B11R makes it magic carpet) all along the expressway, except one flyover close to Mysore; which was skipped by all vehicles clogging the service road even in the dead of the night.

Are there some glitches around the toll booths still? The massive bus reversed itself out of two toll lanes (while there is no dearth of lanes in the toll plaza!)

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by commonman

As a person who travels in between Bengaluru - Mysuru , often in a self driven car, by the end of 2019, I had started cursing the roads. All those cities, the cafeterias, restaurants, shops had made travel very difficult. Add to that, tractors, bullock carts, mopeds, scooters and animals. To me Express way is a blessing. Those who do not want to pay the toll, please use the service road. Those who want to shop, or to take a break can please take the next deviation. It is ridiculous that people is fighting against good roads. There exists no excuse . Many of these are politically motivated. However, I would suggest people to be constructive. Another aspect is in Bangalore, people are happy to pay NICE road toll.. Isn't it all a hilarious scenario.?

People don't have a problem with NICE road toll, the same way they don't have any with income tax, try not paying it. Imagine privatising a major arterial road, acquiring land at government expense then allowing toll collection without any improvements haphazard maintenance and no thought to traffic growth, that's the NICE model, now being rolled out through the country.

People are complaining about substandard infrastructure that is charged at full rates, there's nothing built around here with road taxes, at the urban, rural or municipal level. I was on the road yesterday, it's not worth the toll. there was water logging with a summer drizzle, that means it was built without something as basic as drainage. A reasonable amount would be around 180—200. The old road connected a few major towns, maintenance on that has been stopped to ensure the new monopoly is protected.

[puntra800]

I travelled for the first time on the expressway yesterday ,the road still is under construction in some areas but thats alright since it was not holding up the traffic as such.
Now coming to why we do not deserve these kind of roads
1. People going almost at 140-160 on the left most lane while overtaking, I was was trying to move to the left most lane by putting an indicator as I was among the slowest(I was going in between 90 to 100), all of a sudden there is this guy who starts honking from quite a distance and just zooms past me from the left even though my right lane is empty.
2. A couple on a Royal Enfield going at a constant speed of 100(I was at that speed and the distance was maintained between me and the bike for quite a distance) on the left most lane and I was in the middle lane, they encounter a slow moving vehicle in the front and wanted to shift to the middle lane for overtaking and naturally they were slowed down by then my car's bonnet was near their rear wheel. This dude just decides to squeeze in the gap without even looking if something is to his right. I slowed down and luckily no one was tail-gating me.
3. A Skoda Yeti, notices the toll collection booth(On the Mysore-Bangalore side) and decides to take a U Turn, he did not stop at that. With full confidence he was driving at a considerable speed on the wrong side just to avoid the toll. I do agree the toll is on the higher side but that does not justify the madness of the driver of the Yeti.
4. Broken fences along the stretch, looks like some of them just decided to have an entry to their place from the expressway. The fencing has been broken on some stretches which is a potential nightmare when you are not expecting anyone to obstruct your lane and suddenly you see a random vehicle out of nowhere.
5. 2 wheelers, I believe the ban on 2 wheelers is a tricky thing. One side due to a few bad apples do we have to punish everyone else or just take the moral high ground keeping in mind the reckless driving on the expressway to ban them for their own safety. I saw a KTM just criss crossing at a very high speed even a small slip would have led to a very fatal incident.

[supertinu]

So I finally drove on the famous and now infamous new BLR-Mysore road expressway of sorts. Went to mysore on 16th (thursday) and drove back 19th evening (sunday) to Bangalore.

My review in summary is that the highway is now orders of magnitude better than what existed before. Just to put perspective, I had been using Kanakpura road to goto Mysore since 2017 given the madness of the earlier road and jams inside cities. Is this road the best expressway around? absolutely not. Infact I would say it sort of gets at par with other highways around BLR to chennai or Salem. But given the higher population density between BLR-mysore I see lot of challenges of illegal deviations, entry points etc. Overall the average sustained highway speeds can be maintained easily and BLR Nice road junction to Mysore ORR signal and back is easily doable in 70 min range give or take 5min based on speeds even on a sunday evening which could have taken 4-5hrs in the past. Surface is also very smooth and enjoyable. Road signs are present but need more as exits aren't very well planned.

As expected lot of fast riding bikers and cars but that's unavoidable unless stricter speed enforcements happen. I was also one of them. While going to Mysore on the bridge after BLR Nice road, we encountered 2 trucks coming full speed in opp direction and bunch of cab too. Complained at the toll booth about it.

[msdivy]

I had traveled many times on the expressway and last weekend was the first time after the toll was imposed. Here are my thoughts:

Highlights:
1) New road bypasses all major earlier bottlenecks - Mandya, Ramanagara, Channapatna, and other towns.
2) No signals, speed-breakers, and at least 3 lanes. Can cover most parts of the stretch in top gear.
3) Two-wheelers keep to the left lane most of the time, leaving 2 lanes for cars.
4) If a slowing truck is overtaking another truck, there is one lane free for cars.

Prime beneficiaries:
1) People traveling towards Mysore can see their travel time reduce by 45 minutes to 1 hour (door to door).
2) Residents of towns that are bypassed - residents of Bidadi, Ramanagar, Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya, Srirangapatna & others. I had to go inside these towns. The traffic signal is off, barely any traffic in these towns. Quality of life has improved for the residents.

Amenities:
The earlier highway passed through towns, villages, and travelers had full-fledged access to all restaurants and shops. Since the new highway bypasses these towns, it looks like a desolate road. For anything, you have to get off the expressway and travel to the nearest town. So right now, few restaurants and a few fuel stations are on the way. Over time, I expect all businesses to move to this highway and commuters will be able to enjoy their preferred cuisine.

The highway is still under construction. Not sure whether the below will be valid during full service:
1) Right now, tolls are collected on the Bangalore side only.
2) Toll fare - will it remain Rs 135 or double, when 2nd section is completed?
3) Flooding during the rainy season. The earlier highway was very good in this aspect. Never faced flooding issue.
4) Plan for Columbia Asia junction near Mysore.

Things to watch out for:
While more or less traffic is disciplined, few things on Indian roads,
1) Folks driving in the middle of 2 lanes
2) Missing tail lights (on trucks, dumpers)
3) Folks parking in the left lane and hopping onto service roads for snacks.

For folks who had traveled in earlier NH4, 6 lanes divided highway is not a novelty. But 6 lanes is any day better than 4 lanes. The 4-lane was completed in 2006 and in a few years, it was congested. This being 6-lane will last more years before being congested. But for the traffic future proof, an 8-lane was required.

PS: Since I frequent this road, need to find a case that gives good mileage at 120Kmph .

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by supertinu

Is this road the best expressway around? absolutely not. Infact I would say it sort of gets at par with other highways around BLR to chennai or Salem.

Yep! Agree.

Chennai route is going through yet another upgrade, a bit of a mess at a few places because of new flyover constructions now but once its done it would be like turning off at Krishnagiri and arriving in Chennai!!

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Yep! Agree.

Chennai route is going through yet another upgrade, a bit of a mess at a few places because of new flyover constructions now but once its done it would be like turning off at Krishnagiri and arriving in Chennai!!

I think you meant the expressway that is being built newly(?).

The current highway from Krishnagiri, though fantastic at many places, ends abruptly about 100 kms from Chennai. I traveled in January 23, and experienced the tardy pace of construction. It put us in difficult and sometimes dangerous situations. It left me disappointed. The current state of the road is unaacceptable in 2023. Damage has been done.

[This is not a counter to your post! Just highlighted the casual attitude this road is getting. I totally agree that once done, it would be good].

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

I think you meant the expressway that is being built newly(?).

The current highway from Krishnagiri, though fantastic at many places, ends abruptly about 100 kms from Chennai. I traveled in January 23, and experienced the tardy pace of construction. It put us in difficult and sometimes dangerous situations. It left me disappointed. The current state of the road is unaacceptable in 2023. Damage has been done.

[This is not a counter to your post! Just highlighted the casual attitude this road is getting. I totally agree that once done, it would be good].

I was referring to the normal highways of TN, like what SuperTinu was referring to.

Bangalore- Mysore connectivity is essential, I am a beneficiary of this road because every other week I am on it.

But you will understand why I have a different perspective if you travel in to TN frequently like I do.

[Caadmara]

Hello There!
Is there an exit from the expressway to reach Ramnagara while traveling from Bangalore towards Mysore or does one have to take the service road right from the start at NICE junction?

Also how is the state of service road till Ramnagara if someone has travelled recently please? Thank you!

[sachinpk]

Villagers blamed for waterlogging at Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway
Can't believe that the 'villagers' innocently blocked the drainage channels. And I do expect more such gimmicks from the 'villagers' and the sensational reporting as well. I am reminded of the many stories of Vande Bharat trains running over people & cows. It was as if there has not been any case of run overs in Indian Railways before this train was launched.

Even when the old highway started getting popular with motorists, there were many cases of 'villagers' coming on the wrong side of the road on bullock carts, tractors etc which led to accidents. And due to this speed breaker humps were placed where ever possible. And if some one picks up an argument excuses like 'poor farmer', 'local villager' etc starts getting used.

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

I was referring to the normal highways of TN, like what SuperTinu was referring to.

Bangalore- Mysore connectivity is essential, I am a beneficiary of this road because every other week I am on it.

But you will understand why I have a different perspective if you travel in to TN frequently like I do.

Understood. I was also highlighting the same but in a different flavour. A very important corridor like BLR-MAA is being neglected, that too a 100kms stretch, while other roads in the state are in a good shape. Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore-Coimbatore should have had an expressway in 1980s itself. We are looking at 2025 now.

[puntra800]

Originally Posted by Caadmara

Hello There!
Is there an exit from the expressway to reach Ramnagara while traveling from Bangalore towards Mysore or does one have to take the service road right from the start at NICE junction?

Also how is the state of service road till Ramnagara if someone has travelled recently please? Thank you!

There is an exit for Ramnagara but I am not sure of the board mentioning the same, safe bet would be to use Google Maps just for the sake of identifying the exit. The express way bypasses Ramanagara so you will have to use the old road i.e not taking the flyover from Nice Junction.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by Caadmara

Hello There!
Is there an exit from the expressway to reach Ramnagara while traveling from Bangalore towards Mysore or does one have to take the service road right from the start at NICE junction?

Also how is the state of service road till Ramnagara if someone has travelled recently please? Thank you!

Yes, there is an exit. You have to watch out for the signboards after Bidadi. If your travel is only till Ramanagara, there are 2 options:
1) With Rs 135 toll: Take the ramp after NICE junction, pay the toll and exit to Ramanagara.
2) Without toll: Don't take the ramp after the NICE junction, go below. After the toll plaza, join back to the expressway and then exit to Ramanagara. You will have the navigate the traffic near Kumbalagodu, which is below the ramp.

PS: No information on the exit road to Ramanagara. But it should be the same as the old highway after the Ramanagara exit.

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Can't believe that the 'villagers' innocently blocked the drainage channels.

This expressway is not complete. Till it is fully done there will be teething troubles. Expressway cuts through farming land throughout. Could be the NHAI didn't make provision for the villagers in that stretch.

I am reminded of the many stories of Vande Bharat trains running over people & cows. It was as if there has not been any case of run overs in Indian Railways before this train was launched.

When hype is created, people's expectations are inflated and is followed by a trough of disillusionment. Trains were stoned before. Trains run over cattle. But VB makes news since it is the current hype.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by msdivy

When hype is created, people's expectations are inflated and is followed by a trough of disillusionment. Trains were stoned before. Trains run over cattle. But VB makes news since it is the current hype.

I do get your point. But what I see is a steady pattern of reporting which is with an intention of pulling down any thing which is special, or at least marginally improving the average person's life. There seems to be a group of people who some how want to see India & Indians with a permenant inferiority complex. Any way, these are all out of topics for this forum.