[nma83]

Thanks ampere & krrisdrive. I will give Anekal - Kelamangalam - Rayakottai a shot then.
So the breakfast option here is at Thoppur? Any recommendations for a veg place?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by nma83

Thanks ampere & krrisdrive. I will give Anekal - Kelamangalam - Rayakottai a shot then.
So the breakfast option here is at Thoppur? Any recommendations for a veg place?

Yes. Thoppur A2B or Sai Sangeeth. Both are on the other side. In case you want to clear all hurdles and then break, look at options in Salem. Radisson, Asai Dosai, Estantia, Pallazio etc are few places.

Also note: Thally road from Hosur is also being widened. So you may see some diversions. But it's still worth taking this option to beat Atibele toll and Hosur highway.

Trivia: You will see the in-progress 844 work cutting through Thally road.

[krrisdrive]

Originally Posted by nma83

Thanks ampere & krrisdrive. I will give Anekal - Kelamangalam - Rayakottai a shot then.
So the breakfast option here is at Thoppur? Any recommendations for a veg place?

May be Anand Bhavan Delight near Omalur. Pl do double check.

[nma83]

I will be taking this route tomorrow via Anekal - Rayakottai and see how it goes.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KfAvvhwGRrhiy2VA7
Saisangeeth at Thoppur seems to be at least 3 hours from home, will be a good test of sustenance .

[rajeevsulu]

The restaurant is very good. Saisangeeth is one of my go to spots on this route.

Cheers

[nma83]

Originally Posted by nma83

I will be taking this route tomorrow via Anekal - Rayakottai and see how it goes.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KfAvvhwGRrhiy2VA7

I did this route in reverse while coming back from CBE today. Roads are great till the Karnataka border, where it becomes clear why we pay the highest road tax . But I would still take this route again if expecting crazy crowds at Hosur and Attibele toll gates.
The biggest grouse today was a massive 40 minute jam at Thoppur due to a container lorry capsizing on the other side (towards Salem). The entire road on that side was blocked for clean up efforts, and all traffic had to share lanes on the side going to Dharmapuri. Maps did warn me of this pile up when I was still in Mettur, but there seems to be no other escape route from the horrible trap that part of the highway is.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by nma83

I did this route in reverse while coming back from CBE today. Roads are great till the Karnataka border, where it becomes clear why we pay the highest road tax . But I would still take this route again if expecting crazy crowds at Hosur and Attibele toll gates.

Where was the KA section bad? Usually I have seen TN border to Anekal is good. Anekal-Jigani-Bannergatta is good but for road around the lake which is single lane.

Only hitch here is the road condition within Anekal town.

[ns94]

Hi All,

Pls ignore if this is not the appropriate thread. Any inputs on road conditions of Mysore - MM Hills - Mettur would be really appreciated (from folks who have travelled recently).

Driving a hatchback next week.

TIA

[abg]

Hi All,

After some long time, I did Blore-Maddur-Kollegal-Germalam-Dhimbam-Othimalai Rd-Annur-Coimbatore.

Roads are Great till Kollegal, but a nightmare from Anthiyur Rd Junction to almost Germalam KA/TN Border. If you have a delicate suspension sedan like mine (Verna), suspension overhaul is guaranteed. Better avoid this route.

I did the return via Dhimbam-Chamarajanagar-Kollegal-Maddur, it was much better, but there are big craters near around Kollegal town.

Kollegal bye-pass work almost getting completed, two more bridges to go. Hope once this is done, it will be better.

Not sure when the toll collection will start though.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by abg

After some long time, I did Blore-Maddur-Kollegal-Germalam-Dhimbam-Othimalai Rd-Annur-Coimbatore.

Roads are Great till Kollegal, but a nightmare from Anthiyur Rd Junction to almost Germalam KA/TN Border. If you have a delicate suspension sedan like mine (Verna), suspension overhaul is guaranteed. Better avoid this route.

The road from Kollegal towards Germalem is quite broken with potholes all along. Not worth it at all.

The Kollegal bypass towards Chanmarajanagar is very useful. And so is the bypass towards Mettur.

[kala]

An update the status on town / village bypasses on NH 948. The ride is pretty smooth once you pass Kaggalipura (or a little beyond - i.e past the Tollgate coming up after Edify school). Harohalli, Kanakapura, Halagur, Malavalli, Shivanasamudra, Sathyagala are all totally bypassed now. New bridge across Cauvery at Sathyagala is fully functional.

Kollegal bypass is almost complete - should be open within a month looking at the current state. (I tried the bypass today, but had to take a diversion of around 2-3 kms to go around a bridge that was structurally complete, but was blocked as road surface works were ongoing on the bridge).

All the villages after Kollegal where the highway was very narrow in the past have bypasses now, and the same with Yelandur town and Santhamarahalli. Chamarajnagar town bypass is also complete and operational though road markings are yet to be done.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by kala

New bridge across Cauvery at Sathyagala is fully functional.

Wow! So fast! Some time back they were still in the works! Great to note this is up. Even the new alignment which bypasses going round the hill along Cauvery is a time saver.

I saw the Satyagala and the Kollegal bypasses almost up. Great developments indeed! Is the new toll booth also functional? Last time we saw it was not.

[kala]

Originally Posted by ampere

Wow! So fast! Some time back they were still in the works! Great to note this is up. Even the new alignment which bypasses going round the hill along Cauvery is a time saver. not.

This bridge has been open for a while now - probably opened in early August. Seems to be a tourist attraction these days - saw a lot of cars parked on the bridge with people enjoying the river views the last two times I passed by. The new developments I saw last weekend (comparing to what I saw 2 weeks ago) were the completion of the flyover over NH766 at Uttamballi at the end of the Kollegal bypass and the railway overbridge and flyover above the Chamarajnagar - Nanjangud SH on the Chamarajnagar bypass.

Originally Posted by ampere

Is the new toll booth also functional? Last time we saw it was not.

No, the tolls aren't functional yet. The toll gate at the beginning of the new alignment before the Sathyagala bridge have all the boards (except the rates of course) in place, but the first toll gate on the Bangalore-Kanakapura section at Somanahalli (just after Kaggalipura) looks just the same as it was a year back.

[Rajeevraj]

Any updates on the status of Chamrajnagar -Gundlepet stretch. With all these updates, looks like kollegala Chamrajnagar Gundlepet would be a nice drive ride as an alternative to the regular route.

[kala]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Any updates on the status of Chamrajnagar -Gundlepet stretch. With all these updates, looks like kollegala Chamrajnagar Gundlepet would be a nice drive ride as an alternative to the regular route.

That stretch is by and large OK but with occasional short stretches of broken roads especially around the villages on the way like Udigala, Terakanambi etc.

During my return drive from Wayanad on Monday it took me about 37 minutes for the 32 kms from Gundlupet to the Chamarajnagar entrance bypass. (With maximum speed never exceeding 80 / 85 kmph). The total time taken from Gundlupet till Kanakapura Rd - NICE road junction was a little under 3 hours (2 hrs 55 mins for 188 kms) again with max speed not exceeding 100kmph.