Team-BHP - Chennai to Coimbatore : Route Queries

Travelled from chennai to coimbatore on 6th Nov 22. Route taken was Chennai-Chengalpatu-tindivanam-villipuram-undulurpet-salem-erode-coimbatore

The entire stretch is maintained by NHAI! The roads are in pristine condition. But compared to the krishnagiri road there was med to heavy traffic! For folks who wish to see security as paramount this has lot of towns to be bypassed and hence your drive is safe. Also this stretch has lot of eateries. You can stop at your convenience.
Also after crossing tindivanam roads suddenly start getting narrower in stretches of about 5-10km and the road is divided by these medians making it a single one way road and please keep patience here as overtaking is really tight and difficult. Unless you are seasoned driver wait until you get to the 4lane road again.

I had a halt at tirupur for a day for work and started back to coimbatore. all the way well maintained roads and yes loads of tolls atleast 100-150kms you have to cross one toll!

Happy and safe driving!

Have an upcoming trip from Chennai to Kangeyam.

Was thinking of taking
CHennai-Ulundurpet-Salem-Perundurai-Kangeyam sticking to known highway,
but Google maps is routing through
Chennai-Perambalur-Musiri-Kulithalai-Karur-Vellakovil-Kangeyam.
Believe the second option would be an undivided two lane highway.

Am travelling with my family and would like to explore scenic country side (atleast one way)
The start from Chennai will be mostly early morning and return is most likely in the second half of the day.

Any suggestions on the route

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamster (Post 5511201)

My suggestion go via Salem. Also instead going into Perundurai, you can drive till Changepalli and exit there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere (Post 5511556)

My suggestion go via Salem. Also instead going into Perundurai, you can drive till Changepalli and exit there.

Trip Update :

Thanks Ampere. Took your suggestion albeit the Chengapalli. TOok the turn at Perundural itself since we were running late already.

Was inclined to go towards Perambalur route on my quest to explore new routes, but home ministry had put spanner on the block with the question of safe eateries and ended up taking the Ulundurpet - Salem - Perundurai route.

Had an early start at 05:15, took the OMR - Thiruporur - Chengalpattu route and stopped for 30 mins breakfast break at 07:30 am in Aaryaas, Thenpakkam. Food was good and so was the cost for the quality. Clean rest rooms and lot of shops to slim your wallet.

The next stops were just 10 mins stretch and bio breaks in the tolls between Ulundurpet and Salem. There are not very much of good eating options between Salem and Ulundurpet and four lane to two lanes at lot of stretches slowed down. Salem had a huge traffic jam caused by lot of heavy trucks at 12 noon and delayed our trip by a good 15-20 mins.

Stopped for 30 mins lunch break at 12:30 lunch at Sree Saravana Bhavan between Magudanchavadi and Sankagiri. Food was just okay.

Reached destination at 02:15

Overall drive time - from Chennai Thiruvanmiyur to Kangeyam was 7.5 hrs considering breaks and traffic in Salem with speed never exceeeding 100kph.

Special Mention to the Thiruporur - Chengalpattu road which is a decent curvy /straight to drive through. The stretch is widened with new tarmac and cleanly marked with lane markings, reflectors and dividers compared to what it was in 2017 when I used to drive from Mahindra City

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmr (Post 5603150)

Hi TeamBHPians!

Has anyone traveled from Chennai to Coimbatore and back recently? How are the roads between Ulundurpet and Salem? The google map shows some road closures on the that route as well as near Perundurai.

Is it better to take the Perambalur-Karur route instead?

Thanks in advance for your inputs.

Apparently this was just a false alarm by Google maps due to some road work that is happening at a couple of places en-route. Best to ignore the Karur route suggestion for now, since it adds a solid one hour to the travel time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoInt (Post 5731830)

I am planning to drive to Salem from Chennai today evening. Any recent updates on ulundurpet salem stretch.

I am planning to drive to Cbe from Chennai shortly, could you please let me know how was the road in this stretch? I am seeing few "roads closed" mark on the map from Ulundurpet to Tiruppur.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geminivirtus (Post 5745432)

I am planning to drive to Cbe from Chennai shortly, could you please let me know how was the road in this stretch? I am seeing few "roads closed" mark on the map from Ulundurpet to Tiruppur.

Road is in good condition till Salem. Except that road becomes two lanes from four lanes at few places between ulundurpet and salem. You need to be watchful at these place if you are driving in night. Also, some road work is going on. Otherwise it is smooth till Salem.
I travelled on 6th March 2024, there was no road closure. Not sure about current status.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geminivirtus (Post 5745432)

I am planning to drive to Cbe from Chennai shortly, could you please let me know how was the road in this stretch? I am seeing few "roads closed" mark on the map from Ulundurpet to Tiruppur.

There are no road closures in those areas; however, there is ongoing road construction work. Therefore, you will need to use the service road intermittently, transitioning between the new four-lane road and two-way road. but the road itself is in good condition with no issues.

I just completed a to and fro journey from Chennai to Coimbatore. Took the Chennai-Ulundurpet - Salem - Coimbatore route. The route is good and encountered roads becoming 2 lanes for traffic from both sides at 3 4 locations. Even there, the road is wide enough to maintain decent speed, unless there's a slow moving truck blocking the entire stretch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jtherider (Post 5775840)

I am planning to go Coimbatore in upcoming week from Chromepet, I am going with two kids (7 and 10 years old), suggest me for nice restaurants for breakfast and lunch(Veg.) on this Tindivanam-Ulundurpet-Salem stretch, and please confirm are we good enough to take break at 3 hours interval?

Sengurichi Toll plaza at Ulundurpet has minimum 30 restaurants serving to all taste and pocket. Take a break there it is 173 km from Chromepet and has lot of parking space. Can suggest Valli mess or Anjappar.

Hi Team,
Does anyone have updated information on the current road condition, especially between Harur and Salem?
I usually take the Chennai, Tindivanam, Ulundurpet, Salem, Bhavani to Coimbatore route. While it’s comfortable and has plenty of eating outlets, I’m planning to try an alternate route this time to beat the monotony.
For my upcoming trip I’m considering this route: Chennai, Thiruvannamalai, Harur, Salem, Bhavani to Coimbatore. I’ve traveled this route a year back and found the roads were decent overall, except for the stretch between Harur and Salem.
Thanks in advance!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laxmistart (Post 5896789)

Harur and Salem?

I won't have high hopes on how the Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai-Uthangarai section in the aftermath of Fengal. It used to be excellent before.

Although you can try approaching from the north via Vaniyambadi. This would largely avoid Fengal affected regions except Uthangarai. Another fun exploration would be the Vaniyambadi-Tirupattur-Dharmapuri route (which used to be vogue in the 90s)

PS: Padikkadhavan inspiration for login handle? rl: