Team-BHP - All Roads to Kerala

Sorry if I am asking for a repetitive answer here.
I am planning to travel from Bangalore to Trichur on 19th January. Expected start time from BTM is around 15:30 hours and planned route is Hosur-->Krishnagiri-->Salem--> Avinashi --> L&T Bypass --> Palakkad --> Trichur as suggested by many of our members in this forum.
A few queries:
1. Is this the best route considering the current road condition and the timings I am planning to start ?
2. Is it a bit confusing at Salem as the road may lead through time consuming Salem town ?
3. What is the expected time I can reach Trichur considering my speed would be around 90-100 and the time I am starting.
4. I am travelling with my family and would like to take one break for dinner, which would be the ideal place having a decent ladies toilet ?
5. Is the Walayar check post too crowded and will there be a traffic jam on a normal working day(night) ?
Help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsbabu (Post 2208040)

It is near a place called Pudiyankam. When you see the broken bridge and diversion boards, just take right turn. It puts you on to NH47 after 100 meters. Once on to NH47, turn left to proceed to Trichur. Or if you must get into Alathur town, the exit to Alathur comes within 1 km towards right.

No. I was talking about the bridge after Menonpara, before the road hit the Palakkad-Pollachi highway, as mentioned in my post. There is a diversion but is rather confusing and not recommended. This joins the SH near Kozhinjampara

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prasidhi (Post 2211652)

5. Is the Walayar check post too crowded and will there be a traffic jam on a normal working day(night) ?
Help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Cant comment on the rest of the points. Regarding Walayar check post: It is generally problematic only on Friday nights

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prasidhi (Post 2211652)

1. I think, this is the best route to travel except for little high traffic on Avinashi-L&T stretch. I drove through Omallur-Shankari which is not advised.

2. No need to get confused. At Salem, after a circle, you can see a flyover across the road. You need to take a left to the service road type entrance little before the flyover. Others will help you with more landmarks.

3. You can comfortably reach by 11.30-12pm with breaks.

4. I think its better to have dinner at hotel Aryas, just before Perunthurai (on the right side of the road) though I am not aware of any other options before CBE. You can see lot of hoarding for this hotel on the way.

5. I don't think Walayar should be a big problem as I started from Bangalore at 4.30pm many times and crossed Walayar without any issues.

All above are IMO. Wait for better suggestions from others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prasidhi (Post 2211652)

Expected start time from BTM is around 15:30 hours and planned route is Hosur-->Krishnagiri-->Salem--> Avinashi --> L&T Bypass --> Palakkad --> Trichur as suggested by many of our members in this forum.

One of my friend taken this route last Saturday. Started from Bangalore at 2:30pm in his Zen, and reached Trichur by 9:45pm

Thanks
Rajesh

Drove down from Cochin to Bangalore today.

Started from Kalamassery at 6.45am and reached Madiwala by 3.45pm with 3 breaks totaling to 1.5 hours.

Thrissur - Palakkad stretch has been mostly patched up and even though the ride is bumpy it is in a much better condition than what it was few months back.

Don't know whether it is due to the Pongal holiday but traffic in TN was sparse it was easy to maintain a constant speed of 120-130kmph in all stretches except Avinashi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by B103 (Post 2211190)

Me too went to Guruvayoor via Palakkad from Bangalore, last week. On the way back, at Salem, I exited a flyover and entered Salem town. From the flyover, it appeared to me that I am following the main road. However, I landed in Salem town and then had to wait at a signal for close to 5 mins. Again I had to drive through the town for some time.

I saw another KA registeration car took the same path. May be they are also confused like me, as more lanes in the flyover are exiting towards Salem town.

Did I loose the right way ? I could not read the smaller boards displayed in the flyover, in the available time.

I too lost way a few weeks back in this same location. :-( Was slightly faster, I did see the keep left board for bangalore, and so came to middle/ left of the middle. Still I ended up missing the left turn at the middle of the flyover, and ended up going an extra km or 2. After which i took a U turn and came back below the flyover and took right to proceed to Krishnagiri side and Chennai.
Indeed, it is misleading, an extra board appropriately near to the bi-forcating point would help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePunter (Post 2220814)

Indeed, it is misleading, an extra board appropriately near to the bi-forcating point would help.

We have missed it a couple of times and from there on everytime we reach Salem we tell ourselves, we are going to Bangalore, Bangalore, Bangalore. We take that flyover and go towards Bangalore. Because that Chennai board on that flyover is misleading since we need to reach Chennai via Krishnagiri (faster and better 4-lane) and not other old routes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeevmenon (Post 2220871)

Yes, the board on the bridge is misleading. During last October when we went to Chennai, I wanted to go through Krishnagiri and, instead of following Bangalore board, we followed the Chennai board and went through Tirupathur/Jolarpet and entered the Chennai highway at Vaniyambadi. Since I was driving on that route first time, I stopped at a Petrol Pump in Salem and asked the guy there (and many others on the road by seeing the condition of the road), he told me this is the route for Chennai and is in good condition. The travel turned out to be a nightmare, with 70% average road and balance 30% very bad road with big potholes.

While coming back, we came by Krishnagiri and the drive which will remember for sometime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cLJ (Post 2221567)

I stopped at a Petrol Pump in Salem and asked the guy there (and many others on the road by seeing the condition of the road), he told me this is the route for Chennai and is in good condition. The travel turned out to be a nightmare, with 70% average road and balance 30% very bad road with big potholes.

Same thing happened to my friend few months back. He broke journey in Salem and next day morning asked some local people who diverted him via old route. It seems like localites are still not aware of Krishnagiri route.

Same thing happened to me too. It was my first road trip from Chennai to Kerala. At Vaniyambadi there was this huge sign that showed a left arrow to Salem so took that route. That left turn proved to be the biggest mistake of the entire journey. The 133 km from Vaniyambadi to Salem took me 2.5 hrs. In contrast, the 210 kms upto Vaniyambadi took me only 3 hours. Was careful to avoid this trap on the return leg. Hence continued in Bangalore route once we entered the Salem flyover inspite of that left arrow sign to Chennai.

I did Chennai-Guruvayur and back last weekend. Roads till Perumanallur are a breeze.

- Did encounter Friday evening traffic till Kanchipuram, eased up a bit after that. Took almost 2 hours from T.Nagar to Poondamalee bypass (but that was expected, me or my colleagues never take our car to office on Fridays).
- Thanks to all warnings in this thread, i took the correct exit both directions at Salem.
- Traffic was the biggest problem from Avniashi to L&T bypass on Saturday morning, morover the diversions are badly patched. On the Sunday noon return, traffic was driveable.
- NH47 from L&T bypass to Walayar was a bit potholed on the onward journey, morover it was a bit scary to drive as there was no shoulder whatsoever (about a feet deep pit probably because road widening is in progress) in this stretch. There wasnt much traffic on the onward journey, on the return there was huge slow moving traffic from Walayar to L&T bypass.
- There was no jams at the Walayar CP as such.
- NH47 in Kerala till Thrissur is pretty good, a small ghat section is a bit rough. Traffic was a pain, especially the autos and motorbikes till Thrissur. Return was decent though. Was able to get to the 5th gear only in the return.
- Thrissur to Guruvayur had good roads. Didnt have much problems, both ways.

For a modern day bypass, why are there so many toll booths and traffic lights on the L&T bypass. Instead of constructing toll booths on either side of an exit, cant they build it on the exit roads ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by narayans80 (Post 2228515)

For a modern day bypass, why are there so many toll booths and traffic lights on the L&T bypass. Instead of constructing toll booths on either side of an exit, cant they build it on the exit roads ?

This is the biggest mistake they made.
Probably they may be saving some money by operating one booth on main road instead of two from both side roads !