[ampere]

Originally Posted by silversteed

I've seen long queues at Attibele, Krishnagiri and Chengappally tolls even after starting at 03:15hrs, during one of the holiday seasons. With a 04:00hrs start, you'll cross Salem by 07:00hrs, which is the time the traffic picks up beyond the Omallur toll plaza. I'd recommend starting by 03:00hrs, so hopefully the Attibele, Krishnagiri, Thoppur and Omallur tolls will be relatively free and you can cross Salem before traffic starts to pick up.

3AM is surely unearthly hour for a family to get ready and head out. 4 seems more doable. If you can manage to be at Attibele by 4/4:30, its still not that bad I guess. May be 10/15 minutes at the worst. Never found Salem to be that big a problem to cross at any hour. Yes there is traffic, but I never found it to be that big a problem.

[Fauji]

Any idea whether the bridge construction/repair on Cauveri bridge near Kollegal is complete? Few months back, it was not and there was a diversion.

Originally Posted by Fauji

Any idea whether the bridge construction/repair on Cauveri bridge near Kollegal is complete?

Yes, the bridge is fine and fully operational now without any diversion.

[Fauji]

Thanks a lot, Ravi. Great to hear that.

[kala]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Any idea whether the bridge construction/repair on Cauveri bridge near Kollegal is complete? Few months back, it was not and there was a diversion.

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Yes, the bridge is fine and fully operational now without any diversion.

The bridge is open now, but beware of some nasty potholes / trenches across the road which can take you by surprise when driving on NH209. There's one really bad one in the Kanakapura-Malavalli sector about 4 or 5 kms past Halagur (About 1km after you cross an IOC petrol bunk on the left) and another one about 3-4 kms after you pass Shivanasamudram.

Overall the condition of the highway has deteriorated somewhat with several rough sectors especially between Kanakapura and Malavalli. Nothing alarming, but yet it isn't the smooth ride that one used to have a year ago.

[hothatchaway]

Driving down to coimbatore over the weekend, is it better to stay near Gandhipuram bus stand or near the railway station? The idea is to stay at a less congested place where one can get in and out in a car without getting stuck in traffic.

Some budget hotel recommendations would also be great

[h14]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Driving down to coimbatore over the weekend, is it better to stay near Gandhipuram bus stand or near the railway station? The idea is to stay at a less congested place where one can get in and out in a car without getting stuck in traffic.

Some budget hotel recommendations would also be great

Which area in Coimbatore do you intend to visit? Both the locations you mentioned will be congested. Based on your plan in cbe, can suggest you some options.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Driving down to coimbatore over the weekend, is it better to stay near Gandhipuram bus stand or near the railway station? The idea is to stay at a less congested place where one can get in and out in a car without getting stuck in traffic.

Some budget hotel recommendations would also be great

Near Gandhipuram we have Hotel City Towers. It is a good place to stay but I dont think it is a budget hotel. I think we also have Hotel laarvee (not sure about the pronunciation).
BTW which part of Coimbatore is your destination, North or South

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by h14

Which area in Coimbatore do you intend to visit?

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

BTW which part of Coimbatore is your destination, North or South

Thanks folks for the super quick response - the distance is Chettipalayam, near Kari

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Thanks folks for the super quick response - the distance is Chettipalayam, near Kari

What a coincidence. I went from Bangalore to Coimbatore last week, had to visit Chettiplayam and stayed at Gandhipuram!!!

Gandhipuram is very congested right now due to flyover work and road repairs. From there to Chettiplayam is about 45 mins drive. I stayed at Hotel Srri Aswini Delux. Hotel is strictly average, but they have good parking area.

[h14]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Thanks folks for the super quick response - the distance is Chettipalayam, near Kari

In this case, I would suggest you can look for places in Avinashi road itself. Not sure if they fall in your budget, but places like Murugan Residency (Opp KMCH near / airport), The Orbis, GRT Vibe, Zone by the park might be suitable. Getting onto the chettipalayam road from these places would be comparatively easier.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Driving down to coimbatore over the weekend, is it better to stay near Gandhipuram bus stand or near the railway station? The idea is to stay at a less congested place where one can get in and out in a car without getting stuck in traffic.

As @santoshbhat has mentioned, avoid staying in Gandhipuram, I heard from my relatives that is extremely congested due to road widening/flyover construction.
I'm not sure where Chettipalayam is but if it is closer to Avinashi Road, then that's where you can stay - Avinashi road has many hotels in various budget ranges. Also, Avinashi road is very close to the NH47 so easy to enter and exit the city

[Arun.K]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Driving down to coimbatore over the weekend, is it better to stay near Gandhipuram bus stand or near the railway station? The idea is to stay at a less congested place where one can get in and out in a car without getting stuck in traffic.

Some budget hotel recommendations would also be great

Originally Posted by h14

Murugan Residency (Opp KMCH near / airport), The Orbis, GRT Vibe, Zone by the park

In addition to suggestions by h14, there is Vijay Elanza at Peelamedu which has come up recently. I haven’t been there, so not sure about the facilities.

The road to Chettipalayam through Podanur is closed now due to bridge work at Podanur. You have to take a detour via the road straight opposite to Eachanari temple on Pollachi Road. Or go further on Pollachi road and take a left at Malumichampatti Junction.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by h14

In this case, I would suggest you can look for places in Avinashi road itself. Not sure if they fall in your budget, but places like Murugan Residency (Opp KMCH near / airport), The Orbis, GRT Vibe, Zone by the park might be suitable. Getting onto the chettipalayam road from these places would be comparatively easier.

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Thanks folks for the super quick response - the distance is Chettipalayam, near Kari

I have spent few hours at Murugan Residency - had booked a room for a friend's wedding. Room was decent - nothing that would put you off on a day's stay. Also, you can walk by for good restaurants around this hotel. It was about 2k for an AC room back in 2014 November.

[Landkruzer]

Yesterday I was coming back to Bangalrore from a place near Salem. Since I started early and I was in no hurry, decided to explore a new route, completely avoiding the 4 lane highway till Hosur. Though I had taken the Dharmapuri-Palakode-Rayakottai road many times, but never tried the Mecheri-Pennagaram road. Hence I decided the take this route - Tharamangalam-Mecheri-Pennagaram-Palacode-Rayakottai-Hosur-Bangalore. Enjoyed driving on these roads as the traffic was thin and road condition was good for most part.

Road condition.

• Drove on Sangagiri-Omalur SH for a short distance. Its a newly tarred road and in excellent condition. I presume the rest of sections are re-tarred. It will be a good option to avoid Salem during long weekends and festival season.
• Tharamangalam to Omalur-Mecheri SH: Excellent MDR.
• Omalaur - Mecheri: Road is ok but some sections are patchy
• Mecheri to Pennagarm: Winding road and mostly in good condition. Road widening work is going in the ghat sections. Road from Perumbalai to Pennagaram was delight to drive thanks to the excellent road and tamarind tree cover.
• Pennagram to Rayakottai: Mostly good roads.
• Rayakottai to Hosur: Road is in bad condition. Please avoid it. This section is pothole-ridden. You have keep dropping to 1st gear for every for every few kms.