[NPV]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Comrades, planning for a solo trip to KL this time. Was just wondering if the Bangalore->Chamrajnagar->Dimbam Ghat road is good. Being "solo", I don't have very strict time lines to keep. Can start early morning from Bangalore. Going on that road, which point would be ideal to join back NH 47? I am proceeding towards Kochi side.

Take Dhimbham ghat and before Gobichetty palayam you can get onto the Perumanllur road and reach NH47 near Tiruppur.
Details in an earlier post - here

*Note I took this route from Chithode (turn off from NH47) as i had some work in Gobi and next destination was Tiruppur.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by NPV

Take Dhimbham ghat and before Gobichetty palayam you can get onto the Perumanllur road and reach NH47 near Tiruppur.

Noted sir!! When did you make the trip? Was it recently?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Noted sir!! When did you make the trip? Was it recently?

Traveled this route in June. We did some shopping in Tiruppur and headed back to Gobi to attend a function and returned to Bangalore by midnight

[ampere]

Originally Posted by NPV

Take Dhimbham ghat and before Gobichetty palayam you can get onto the Perumanllur road and reach NH47 near Tiruppur.

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Noted sir!! When did you make the trip? Was it recently?

Thats a big detour. Faster would be either:

Annur-Karumanthampatti-L&T or
Puliampatty-Avinashi-L&T

[unni246]

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to share and keep you all updated on the Kerala - Bangalore route via ChamarajNagar as I had recently completed my trip last weekend.
Thought it might be useful for some.

We started our Journey around 12 noon (from Malappuram town).

The road's good as usual until Nadugani, where enroute the ghat section you would be welcomed with very deep potholes however not for long.

The road is again good until Gudalur and the stretch between Gudalur & Theppakadu is absolute shambles as updated earlier by fellow BHPians.
At certain points you don't even have the tarmac and I would not advice any Honda City / Vento owners attempt this route if you want to avoid major surgeries to your car's belly. This apart you need to save your self from Heavy vehicles cruising this way at high speeds with 0 concern on our life or vehicles.

Between Theppakkadu & Chamarajnagar, the roads are nice (especially the Gundlupet - Chamarajnagar which is recently laid I guess).

Between Chamarajnagar & Malavalli the roads are a bit uneven with lots of deep potholes which might take you by surprise, so look out for them.
The bridge near barachukki falls (Shivanasamudhram) is now open though still not wide enough and hence no more deviations to reach Malavalli.

The Kanakapura road is still uneven and certain points, unevenly patched especially at various junctions and could bring down your speeds. And it's absolutely uneven the closer you get to Bangalore. Again keep your eyes open for potholes.

We took almost 10 hours to cover the entire stretch with stoppages for Lunch and Tea, which would take away close to 45 minutes.
We were also lucky enough to see no blockages or traffic on the entire journey, considering we were returning on a Sunday afternoon after the Diwali holidays!

Happy Motoring BHPians ..

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Not sure whether it is advisable to take Dhimbam route during heavy rains.

Then the next route I have in mind is Attibele->TVS->Rayacottai->Palacode->Pennagaram->Mecheri-Omalur.

How is the road condition? Or any other advice? I just did a small check on Google and this is the route it suggests. Google Maps: Palacode->Omalur

Searching for this, also gave me another idea to try the Mettur Dam route. I had taken it very long ago, when the four-lane highway was getting built between Thoppur & Salem.
Google Maps: Palacode->Pennagaram->Mecheri->Mettur->Olapalayam

Again being "solo", it helps me to drive at a sedate pace and also do a recce of alternatives roads in case of major blocks at the Toll booths. The road show by Google to reach Pennagaram from Palacode, does not seem to be a state highway or a national highway. So just worried if it is going to be a bad road (or even non-existent road).

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Ajith-s

Planning to drive down to Kerala (Thrissur and Kochi), 2 families in an Accent and Honda City on 23rd December. Planning to stay for 2 days at Coco Lagoon Resort (Meenkarai Road, Vazhaikombu Nagoor Village, Pollachi, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 642103)
Planning to start early morning by 5 from Bellandur on 23rd

I'd suggest taking the Avinashi-Mangalam-Pollachi route since you mentioned the date as 23rd Dec. Might work out faster (and cheaper) as I'd expect some queues on the Avinashi and L&T tolls.

Perundurai, Kangeyam, Palladam, and Pollachi.

This is too circuitous IMO, since the Avinashi-Mangalam route is smooth.

Pollachi, Meenkarai, Kollengode, Alathur and then joining NH47

Looks good

Originally Posted by ampere

Some how Google estimates similar times for both the routes. That does not make sense, as one should definitely gain time on the 4-lane.

Maybe, the average speeds being lower and traffic higher on the L&T and NH209, resulting in a lower average speed than expected?

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Comrades, planning for a solo trip to KL this time. Was just wondering if the Bangalore->Chamrajnagar->Dimbam Ghat road is good. Being "solo", I don't have very strict time lines to keep. Can start early morning from Bangalore. Going on that road, which point would be ideal to join back NH 47? I am proceeding towards Kochi side.

There were quite a few rough patches between Kanakapura and Chamarajanagar, and the narrow stretches inside villages are also so-so.
Dhimbam ghat was in good shape.
B'lore-Chamarajanagar-Dhimbam-Sathy-Annur-Karumathampatty (NH47) - you pay Rs.80 toll as soon as you are on the NH.
B'lore-Chamarajanagar-Dhimbam-Sathy-Annur-follow signs to CBE airport -Avinashi Road (turn left towards Avinashi)-Neelambur (make an almost U-turn towards L&T bypass) (NH47) -you skip the Rs.80 toll, but you will be in CBE city traffic for about 7km and slower by 10-15min.
The above are based on my experience in late Oct.

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Then the next route I have in mind is Attibele->TVS->Rayacottai->Palacode->Pennagaram->Mecheri-Omalur.

How is the road condition? Or any other advice? I just did a small check on Google and this is the route it suggests. Google Maps: Palacode->Omalur

Searching for this, also gave me another idea to try the Mettur Dam route. I had taken it very long ago, when the four-lane highway was getting built between Thoppur & Salem.
Google Maps: Palacode->Pennagaram->Mecheri->Mettur->Olapalayam

Again being "solo", it helps me to drive at a sedate pace and also do a recce of alternatives roads in case of major blocks at the Toll booths. The road show by Google to reach Pennagaram from Palacode, does not seem to be a state highway or a national highway. So just worried if it is going to be a bad road (or even non-existent road).

I had taken this route while I was returning to Bangalore after Christmas vacation - Bhavani - Mettur - Mecheri -Pennagaram - Rayakotah route.
Not sure of the condition of the road now. This is good road to try. There is a ghat section between Pennagaram and Mecheri which is narrow. Road condition was excellent and traffic was less but if you get stuck behind a heavy vehicle, it is difficult to overtake as the road is narrow. Shorter than national highway by around 25 KMs and you can save Attibele, Krishnagiri, Thoppur, Omallur & Sankari tolls - Around Rs 350/-.

Expect heavy truck traffic between through out. You can also try

Mettur - Ammapettai -Athani - Anthiyur -Gobi - Coimbatore route to avoid 2 more tolls.

https://goo.gl/maps/C2LouNSFWdp

[deemash]

Will this cause any further delay in Madukkarai - Walayar highway project? The Walayar - Madukkarai 4-lane work progress is too slow and might get dropped off. It is really frustrating. The road work began somewhere in 2010 and it is still not completed even after 5 years. Note that it is just a 10-11 kms stretch.

Also, heard that the 6-laning work from Vadakkancherry to Mannuthi has started to pick up the pace. Hope to see nice roads soon!


IVRCL to get Rs 400 crore from sale of 3 road projects:

The company said the sale consideration for divestment in the three road projects will result in an aggregate loss of Rs 327.6 cr
BS Reporter | Hyderabad
November 18, 2015

IVRCL to get Rs 400 crore from the sale of 3 road projects in Tamil Nadu

Hyderabad-based infrastructure player IVRCL Limited will get Rs 400 crore from the sale of three road projects in Tamil Nadu as the delayed monetisation ended up in losses.

The company said last week that the sale consideration for divestment in the three road projects — Salem Tollways Limited, Kumarapalayam Tollways and Chengapalli Tollways — was lower than the stated value of investments and outstanding advances, and will result into an aggregate loss of Rs 327.6 crore.

“The three projects have a debt of Rs 1,500 crore. The interest costs, about Rs 200 crore a year, had accrued on the debt due to delay in execution of the deal. This apart, the buyers want an internal rate of return (IRR) of 16 per cent on the projects,” a senior official of the company said, when asked about the reasons for selling the assets at a discount.

Though IVRCL and Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited (TRIL) had entered into a stake sale deal in 2013, it was being executed only now as "all conditions" precedent to the revised definitive agreement were fulfilled during the second quarter of the current financial year.

The estimated deal of Rs 2,200 crore now comes with interest costs on debt for the seller.

The company will get a net amount of Rs 400 crore from the sale. Of this it will receive Rs 315 crore in the next couple of months and the balance in September 2017, according to the company official.

The Salem Tollways Limited, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the project, operates a 53-km stretch of National Highway 47 from Salem to Kumarapalayam under a concession agreement signed with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). It started operations in June 2010.

Similarly, Kumarapalayam Tollways operates a 47-km stretch of NH-47 from Kumarapalayam to Chengapalli. The project achieved commercial operation date in August 2009. And for the third road project executed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) mode in the deal involving a 54.83-km stretch of Chengapalli-Coimbatore-Walayar highway, Chengapalli Tollways has received the provisional certificate for commercial operation only from October 14, 2015 owing to execution delays.

Sale of road projects has proved a tough task for many companies as valuations based on the earlier traffic projections were strongly contested by buyers.

Last year, IVRCL had gone for a Corporate Debt Restructuring (CDR) after the BOT road projects, which account for half of the company's consolidated debt of around Rs 8,000 crore, added to its debt.

The company is currently facing a tough situation as lenders are reluctant to give new loans, even though it was sanctioned a fresh non-fund credit of Rs 1,800 crore in bank guarantees and letter of credit, in addition to a cash credit limit of Rs 200 crore as part of the CDR deal.

The revenue position has not improved as there was no money to execute the orders in hand, the company says. The company has an order book of Rs 18,000 crore.

Apart from monetising the assets, there are six more in line, it has decided to focus on realising the claims amounting to over Rs 6000 crore from various government projects. The company wants to utilise the new arbitration law that brings down the time limit for the settlement of a commercial dispute, for this purpose.

[Twiny]

Originally Posted by unni246

Between Theppakkadu & Chamarajnagar, the roads are nice (especially the Gundlupet - Chamarajnagar which is recently laid I guess).

Between Chamarajnagar & Malavalli the roads are a bit uneven with lots of deep potholes which might take you by surprise, so look out for them.
The bridge near barachukki falls (Shivanasamudhram) is now open though still not wide enough and hence no more deviations to reach Malavalli.

Thanks unni.. I was just looking for the bridge status.. I want to make an early morning start tomorrow to Kalpetta and return in the afternoon. For the onward journey planning to take Mysore Road and return come via Chamrajnagar.

[sankar8588]

While searching for the route option from Mangalore to Palani, Google maps suggested the following routes as shown in the pic

1) Mangalore - Calicut - Palakkad - Palani: 470kms and takes ~12 hrs
2) Mangalore - Madikeri - Mysore - Sathyamangalam - Palani: 540kms and takes ~11 hrs.

Which is the best option for a daytime travel in terms of traffic & road conditions?

[TheHkrish]

Hi,

I have a short stay planned at Wayanad this week Near Kalpetta, from there would be driving to Thrissur.

The routes which I am looking forward from Bangalore are

1) Bangalore --> Mandya --> Mysore --> HDKote --> Bavali --> Manathavady --> Kalpetta

2) Bangalore --> Mandya --> Mysore --> Nanjangud --> Gundlupet --> Sulthan Bathery --> Kalpetta

Can anybody of you highlight how are the road conditions ?, prefer better roads to slightly longer.

Not too keen NH209 due to lesser number of eateries along the road.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by TheHkrish

1) Bangalore --> Mandya --> Mysore --> HDKote --> Bavali --> Manathavady --> Kalpetta

2) Bangalore --> Mandya --> Mysore --> Nanjangud --> Gundlupet --> Sulthan Bathery --> Kalpetta

Can anybody of you highlight how are the road conditions ?, prefer better roads to slightly longer.

Not too keen NH209 due to lesser number of eateries along the road.

Both are now in pretty good condition. There is still work happening between Mysore and nangangud. But from nangangud to the forest entry work is all done and it is a wide freshly laid road.

The first route has a disadvantage of no eateries between Mysore and manathavady and manathavady to kalpetta is a little patchy.

In summary both are good with small stretches of not so perfect roads.

Both will take similar time.

Note: In route 1 there is no need to touch hd kote. Mysore- handpost- bavalli is the route.

[binand]

Originally Posted by TheHkrish

1) Bangalore --> Mandya --> Mysore --> HDKote --> Bavali --> Manathavady --> Kalpetta

2) Bangalore --> Mandya --> Mysore --> Nanjangud --> Gundlupet --> Sulthan Bathery --> Kalpetta

Road Condition: Not sure about Gundlupet-Moolehole - I think there could be one or two residual diversions in this section. The DB Kuppe-Bavali stretch (through Nagarhole NP) is narrow with several speedbreakers and could slow you down. Rest is all great roads.

Traffic: Mysore-Nanjangud is maddening. Also, Bathery-Kalpetta I feel has much higher traffic than Mananthavady-Kalpetta.

Eateries: Nothing worth mentioning between Mysore-Kattikulam. No shortage of eateries in the Mysore-Bathery route.

I think with your constraints perhaps the Bathery route is a tad better.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sankar8588

1) Mangalore - Calicut - Palakkad - Palani: 470kms and takes ~12 hrs

- Stick to the Calicut option. Mangalore-Pallakkad is heavy on traffic. But still with smart timings, you can manage to reduce it down.
- No need to go via Mysore. Much more ghats on that route.
- Chart out the correct Calicut bypass option.
- At Palakkad, if you are lost, ask for the road to Pollachi