[Bsimhan]

I am seeing this route after a lapse of almost 24 years. I recall that in the year 2000, I mistakenly took this Palacode route to get to Bangalore while travelling from Trichy. Those days there used to be railway level crossing just after this turnoff and thought that I could avoid the wait at the level crossing by going straight to Hosur and bypassing Krishnagiri altogether. The road is now vastly improved and is a far cry from what it was those days. It was a single road all through. I recall vividly as we were stuck enroute due to a thunder storm. The storm uprooted a tree and we had to detour through several village to finally make it to Mathigiri. My wife was with me at that time and we debated turning back after an hour on this road. I now see that the road is divided pretty well defined most of the way. Thanks for sharing this. It brought back a lot of memories.
Regards, Balaji

[tharian]

I had used this route first somewhere in April/May of this year and it doesn't look like much progress has occured in the months post that. On another return trip from Velankanni with family, I took the route and it worked out well since the Krishnagiri to Hosur section is quite stressful especially when you are towards the end of a long journey. This route had no traffic except for a long jam on the opposite side as it was factory shift ending time and the whole road was clogged with factory buses.

I understand the night service buses between Bangalore and Kerala use this route now. They end up saving on toll for the time being.

Originally Posted by vigsom

Ever seen an autorickshaw driver don a helmet
.

It most probably is a test vehicle from the TVS factory, hence the helmet for the driver.

[sudeepg]

I had taken this route a couple of months ago after a video of it surface on Team-BHP. This was on my way back to Bangalore. It was a nice experience, and traveling via this route does take additional time due to passing via Rayakottai town and the work in progress deviations. As Vigsom said, Krishnagiri is the preferred route unless it is peak holiday travel.

[Chillout]

I saw this route last week when I was travelling from Salem to Bengaluru, however wasn't sure and hence stuck to the usual route , however after Krishnagiri there was a huge backup and was wondering why I did not choose this new route and could have saved time as well

[rknair]

Google maps took me thru this route last month during our trip from Thiruvananthapuram to Hyderabad. Initially I was pretty pleased seeing the wide divided roads with sparse traffic. Then things started getting scary since lot of traffic started coming in opposite direction (wrong direction) with their high beams affecting visibility. There was also a consistent drizzle all along the way. At times there were more vehicles coming in the wrong direction so I was thinking if I had made some mistake. But I went along. After managing through heavy traffic in Rayakoti and the NH 44 junction, finally joined back to the familiar route. It took me around 1 hour 21 minutes through this route from Thoppur toll plaza to Attibele toll plaza compared to 2 hours 6 mins via Krishnagiri in March so I guess I saved some time.

[samabhi]

Originally Posted by vigsom

NH844 to SH85 to 948A

Left to Kelamangalam and right to Hosur - I turned left
Attachment 2695998

I take this route every week to visit my farm, which is about 16kms from Rayakottai and exactly 10 kms from the Diversion 3 point, which is Kaduchettipatti.

It’s always best to take the Rayakottai - Hosur Road instead of the Kelamangalam route. Except for couple of stretches, the highway is more or less completed all the way till Hosur and it’s shorter too. After reaching Hosur, take the right turn at the circle to join the Chennai Highway. This route is any day faster than the other route connecting to Blore through Attibele.

The Kelamangalam route has been extended in the recent months, but it’s not the preferred route. I am saying after trying both the routes. The truck traffic on the ESI Ring road and then near the TVS factory entering Karnataka gets very painful.


I am just waiting for the entire stretch of NH 844 to be completed. It’s been under construction for a long time now and from what I know from the locals, this was supposed to be completed back in August, 2024.

[manojrajakrishn]

The new NH 844 route is good; it will save you a good amount of time and kilometres once the road is totally complete. Currently, there is a slowdown during peak hours in Rayakottai and Hosur Ashoka Pillar Junction.

There are very few shops on the new highway; it would take sometime for many shops to be set up on this highway.

Folks from south bengaluru If you are travelling to Chennai, then krishnagiri is the best route, and for folks travelling to Dharmapuri, Salem, and other connecting destinations, NH 844 would be the best route and would improve soon in a year's time.

[vasanthn21]

I need to travel from Bangalore to Palakkad. Google Maps shows two routes both bypassing Coimbatore. One goes via Salem and the other via Chamatajanagar. Which one is better for a family starting in the evening (around 4pm) and reaching by midnight.

Please note that I stay in South Bangalore on Kanakapura road.

Thanks in advance.

[binand]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

I need to travel from Bangalore to Palakkad... Which one is better for a family starting in the evening (around 4pm) and reaching by midnight.

The one through Salem. Take the NICE Road and merge onto southbound Hosur Road.

The route through Chamarajanagar - apart from being a crowded single-carriageway road, is closed for vehicular traffic between 9 PM and 6 AM.

[vasanthn21]

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[BeingHuman]

Which is the current best route from Attibele to Ooty.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by BeingHuman

Which is the current best route from Attibele to Ooty.

Stick to Mysore - Gundlupet - Masinagudi - Ooty. Good roads throughout.

[BlueGod]

First time when I went from Dharmapuri ended up in some farm on Karnataka side and with the help of local driver reached Bangalore. Now a days I reach Hosur using this route. Usually I travel in night so there won’t be any traffic in rayakottai.

This is a good option even when it becomes fully operational. It is a parallel road for vehicles going towards Bangalore. Wish there was a load balancing system that can advise drivers little ahead. If it can provide the count of vehicles that passed on krishnagiri road vs rayakottai road in the last one hour then the drivers can take the route accordingly.

[Rajeevraj]

Work seems to have started happening for the interchange of NH844 and NH44 at Neralur-Chandapura section..Once NH844 is fully done between Bangalore and Hosur, it is a no brainer for anyone heading to Salem. Bypasses Attibelle, Hosur, Krishnagiri not to mention that it will also intersect with STRR which can bring all the traffic from North Bangalore heading to Salem side to NH 844. I guess it should be done in another year. Only blockers are the 2 Rail overbridges over the Bangalore - Hosur- Salem line near Anekal and on the Rayakottai bypass.

[aajohn]

Will be headed to Kerala coming Thursday and will be taking the Salem - Dindigul - Theni route. Google is routing me via NH844 instead of Krishnagiri. I stay in south Bangalore and will be starting at 4/4:30 Am. Any suggestions from those who frequent these sections would be very welcome!!