[simplyself]

NAM"E"L is a misnomer. No proper plantation on the median, badly designed curves, misplaced fly overs. Even after a decade they weren't able to construct a bridge over rail way after the toll gate near Santa Maguluru X roads. Overall road top finishing is much to be desired. Even after Qube Highways took over from Ramky, there hasn't been much improvement except harassing the free pass holders.

They have done some weird things like placing boards like ' toll road ends' and 'toll road starts', where the portions were not completed. Case in point are the village crossing at Tipparthy village we which is a two laned one and the other at Miryalguda flyover. When coming down from fly over, there is no median divider and road is pot holed. Fly Over itself was not built by the NAMEL but govt had floated a seperate tender.

Another pain is the Piduguralla town section. The bustling town has no bypass.

Also, nearing Addanki town, the four laned road becomes two laned one.

As for food options, one can find a good hotel at Toopranpet on NH 65, just before one enters ' toll road'. Another one is ' Village Ahaaram' organic food court just after Koyyalagudem Fly Over, about 45 km from Hyderabad. Next is Sher E Punjab dhana just after Gundrampally village ( about 4 km after Panthangi toll gate, about 62 km from Hyd. Next are a series of Orissa dhabhas after Chityal village - 80 km from Hyderabad - and a couple of kms before Vivera. After leaving the NH and entering NAMEL, one can find good hotels in Nalgonda town, Miryalguda town and bypass , at Piduguralla.

[FlashMustang]

Drove from Hyderabad to Chennai by mid December and returned by Christmas.
FASTag is now operational on the toll-booths on the NAM expressway.
Apart from that, no surprises or developments, and it was a smooth drive.

[bblost]

I drove back to Hyderabad yesterday.

This was a tiring drive back because of two unrelated reasons. On most stretches around Nellore they put plastic cones reducing the two lanes into one lane. I don't know the logic behind this but in some places they were cutting grass in the median.

If stuck behind a slow moving truck, this meant we had to either drive at 40 or cut across from the shoulder. I don't do the shoulder overtake as I feel that is an easy way to get a flat tire.

The second was the huge number of college buses in the morning around Chennai and then container (car delivery) trucks on the route.

Packed food and coffee, so did not stop at any place for buying refreshments.

The stretch between Narketpally and Hyderabad easily wins in terms of finding idiot drivers. No idea what is so special about this section that makes the majority behave like its some race track.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by bblost

The stretch between Narketpally and Hyderabad easily wins in terms of finding idiot drivers. No idea what is so special about this section that makes the majority behave like its some race track.

What's an unique contrary about an autorickshaw? Most of us look out for one when we need a ride, unfortunately that's also the thing we despise the most when we're riding/driving on the road. Behind most successful accident, there's a silent autorickshaw that has successfully escaped the scene!! Agree or not, this is something hard to accept for the evidence always is missing because of the escapism



Why do I talk about the autorickshaw?

There's also a very unique ability with most autorickshaw drivers. We, as riders or drivers, when in traffic, tend to gently flow, squeeze through & get ahead & then fly like a rocket. Guess what an autorickshaw riders do when in traffic? Tend to fly like a rocket, slice through & then gently flow causing the traffic to choke & then repeat!!

There are 3 type of folks I observe usually
1. Very few matured folks on the road have the integrity of composed riding/driving & most importantly without obstructing the flowing traffic no matter who rides whatsoever. This is regardless of age.
2. Some more matured folks, mostly comes with age, have the integrity of composed riding/driving & without a care or worry whether they obstruct the flowing traffic, all they want to reach is destination regardless of fellow riders/drivers on the road
3. Most folks, subconsciously, don't want to say driven by ego, unfortunately it is, are attracted to fast moving objects, trying to match or pace or even follow that object for reasons unknown, comprise majority of the traffic

And the fast moving object, is nothing but the same autorickshaw, that "liberates" the entire traffic. This liberation is what causes the traffic to agitate, sometimes disruption, mishaps & even fatality. This agitation is what we observe post NAM expressway until Narketpalli and the entire nation as well.

And if you may ask why the same liberation cannot be done by an youngster with a light weight motorcycles? Because the autorickshaw drivers have an unique ability to turn ON the left turn light indicating a left turn, wave right hand indicating right turn yet keep going straight!!

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by bblost

On most stretches around Nellore they put plastic cones reducing the two lanes into one lane.

This must be between Gudur and Nellore where they are still rebuilding the bridge that got ripped apart by Nivar.

Wasn't this cone nonsense present between Nalgonda and Pidugurrala too?

Any update on the bypasses on NAM? Or is it status quo from last year?

The second was the huge number of college buses in the morning around Chennai

You entered around 7-8 am ish? College buses annoyance is common earlier in the day and again around 330-500 pm when they dropoff. THere are quite a few companies in Sri City, so company buses also contribute.

In general I try enter either in the afternoon or late night regardless of the direction. Suburban traffic is a pain.

The stretch between Narketpally and Hyderabad easily wins in terms of finding idiot drivers. No idea what is so special about this section that makes the majority behave like its some race track.

To be specific Pangthangi to ORR entry is always like competition. Its not unique to Hyderabad, you'll see this behavior in the 30 km radius of any major metro.

Originally Posted by aargee

What's an unique contrary about an autorickshaw?

Autorikshaws are a major pain. Especially ones in Madras do it on purpose. And its not driving fast that is a problem, they hog lanes drive slowly as an union causing public nuisance. Even pullingo are better in this regard, their intent is to get moksha at the earliest

[aargee]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Its not unique to Hyderabad, you'll see this behavior in the 30 km radius of any major metro

Yes, I've to agree for having observed it multiple times from:
1. Mamandur to Chennai on NH45; very aggressive from Chengalpet onwards
2. Walajabad to Chennai on NH4; very aggressive from Sriperumbudur
3. NH5, not so sure as most of my drives/rides are mid afternoon or post midnight return to Chennai; may be from Tada onwards?
4. Until Hosur everything looks normal, things start changing post that towards Bangalore as well
5. On the other side of Bangalore, things look very neat until Tumkur post that the aggravation starts & by the time it's Nelamangala, everything moving object on road starts dancing
6. Can't say KL is an exception either, until Kavalkinaru all moving objects are under control, post that things start deteriorating, by the time it's Aralvaimozhi things starts going out of control, post Nagercoil is when hell starts breaking lose
7. Even the end of NH4 at Bombay side, things seem much better until Kholapur or may be till Satara; now we could blame the bad roads, but still, post Pune things start taking their own shape for 180+ odd Kms & on NH8 side, until we cross Manor there's a bleak hope battling traffic

Looking at one practical reason - Obviously cities are epic center of traffic; as one enters or departs the city, the traffic is bound to be more causing congestion. Most of us want to get out of the traffic & hence most of us do the contrary - instead of staying patience & flow with the traffic, we tend to get ahead of it during this process we cause disruption in the equilibrium of the flow (and ofcourse some overcautious folks who apply brakes 1 Km ahead (little exaggeration) when they think they see a cow has crossed the road causing a rubber band effect on the length of traffic!!)

What we most don't realize is - traffic moves like a wave aka group; means, there's one group of traffic - huge gap - another group of traffic. So if we surpass from the tail end of one traffic group, the gap is short lived only to join at the tail end of another traffic group; then the process repeats. No judgement here as whether this is good or bad; but how one gets ahead from tail end to surpass the traffic causes all the troubles. Classic example being, people who attempt to follow an ambulance & there're some folks trying to cut off from doing so, deliberately or unintentionally.

The lack of adherence to process causes all the troubles & the lack of enforcement to follow the process is responsible for the entire chaotic system.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by narayans80

This must be between Gudur and Nellore where they are still rebuilding the bridge that got ripped apart by Nivar.

This cone work was all over the stretch. Some places did not have any workers or anything.

I did not observe this on the other side when I was coming from Hyderabad.

Wasn't this cone nonsense present between Nalgonda and Pidugurrala too?

No. I don't recall this on that stretch.

Any update on the bypasses on NAM? Or is it status quo from last year?

Same as it was back in June 2021.

You entered around 7-8 am ish? College buses annoyance is common earlier in the day and again around 330-500 pm when they dropoff. THere are quite a few companies in Sri City, so company buses also contribute.

In general I try enter either in the afternoon or late night regardless of the direction. Suburban traffic is a pain.

I wanted to leave at 5 AM. But I felt sleepy, so went back to sleep for 5 mins and woke up an hour later.

To be specific Pangthangi to ORR entry is always like competition. Its not unique to Hyderabad, you'll see this behavior in the 30 km radius of any major metro.



Autorikshaws are a major pain. Especially ones in Madras do it on purpose. And its not driving fast that is a problem, they hog lanes drive slowly as an union causing public nuisance. Even pullingo are better in this regard, their intent is to get moksha at the earliest

The reason I find the Hyderabad entry so scary is the extreme high speeds most are able to get on it.

Chennai entry is also bad but the speeds are significantly lesser. At least this is my observation.

Originally Posted by aargee

The lack of adherence to process causes all the troubles & the lack of enforcement to follow the process is responsible for the entire chaotic system.

You nailed it.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by bblost

The reason I find the Hyderabad entry so scary is the extreme high speeds most are able to get on it.

Chennai entry is also bad but the speeds are significantly lesser. At least this is my observation

God damn right!!
KA, AP & TS folks are very swift unlike TN who ride very slow; in KA, atleast in Bangalore city, even middle aged folks ride very fast in entire South. In Hyderabad city, people shoot off from signal like released by a catapult & extremely calculative to know whether their vehicle can squeeze through or not & never, never make a mistake. And this is not autorickshaw, these are private cars & two-wheelers. TN? or even KL, no way I've seen people shooting like that.

[searacer932]

Hi All,

I am planning to drive up from Chennai to Hyderabad end of this month. I am not planning to do the trip at a single stretch as I will be starting late afternoon on 27th (post 3 P.M). I will be starting from OMR and have to reach Bandlaguda Jagir in Hyderabad.

I understand the route will be as below

• Chennai OMR - Chennai ORR - Nellore - Ongole - NAM Expressway - Hyderabad ORR - Bandlaguda Jagir (Hyderabad).

Few questions on this -

1. Is this the preferred route?
2. Where can I break for the night stay on 27th? Ongole seems to be a decent option for the night stay.
3. Any good hotels recommended for the night stay?
4. What should be the preferred start time on 28th Morning? Don't want to get stuck in Hyderabad traffic.
5. Presume FASTag works everywhere including Hyderabad ORR.
6. I will be travelling in my TN registered car and the situation is that the car will be used by my in-laws in Hyderabad. Is there any issue with using out of state cars in Hyderabad? The car itself will be in Hyderabad for at least couple of years if not more.
7. Do we need a E-Pass to go to AP or TS currently?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by searacer932

Hi All,

Answers inline.

1. Is this the preferred route?
Yes.

2. Where can I break for the night stay on 27th? Ongole seems to be a decent option for the night stay.
I expect you to reach Ongole in 5-6 hours. This is almost the midway point and should be the preferred option. The roads are quite decent for a night drive as they are a divided highway. Never felt the need to take a halt because of this. A relaxed drive takes around 10-11 hours for me. From Adyar to Bandlaguda.


3. Any good hotels recommended for the night stay?
No idea, Sorry.


4. What should be the preferred start time on 28th Morning? Don't want to get stuck in Hyderabad traffic.
You will not get stuck in Hyderabad Traffic. Bandlaguda (I live here) is literally on the Hyderabad ORR.


5. Presume FASTag works everywhere including Hyderabad ORR.
Yes.

6. I will be travelling in my TN registered car and the situation is that the car will be used by my in-laws in Hyderabad. Is there any issue with using out of state cars in Hyderabad? The car itself will be in Hyderabad for at least couple of years if not more.
Sometimes they setup checkposts and "catch" them but its kind of rare.
My gated community has a lot of cars registered in other states.

7. Do we need a E-Pass to go to AP or TS currently?
I did not need any when I drove down earlier this week.

[hserus]

I would advise you to just make an early start the next day around 4 AM or earlier and leave for Hyderabad and you'll then reach late afternoon on the same day instead of around lunchtime if you do a night halt at Ongole.

In any case, you won't get very good places to stay along the highway in Ongole or Nellore which are the two major cities en route.

Note : If you make a late start in the morning and want to stay the night before you reach Hyderabad, there is the Vivera Grande in Narketpally just as you come off the NAM village road (I won't call it expressway because it is not) and get back onto the 6 lane. Useful if you are feeling tired and don't want to push on.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by searacer932

I am planning to drive up from Chennai to Hyderabad end of this month. I am not planning to do the trip at a single stretch as I will be starting late afternoon on 27th (post 3 P.M).

Your travel date is 20 days away. No one can guess the status quo and restrictions at that time, given TN official cases have ramped up from 700 to 9000 in a matter of 6 days. If your intention is to drop your car, earlier the better.

For stays:

Nellore has Minerva Grand
Ongole has Mourya Inn

None of these are on NH5, you'll have go few km inside town for both. Although it never made sense for an overnight stay for Madras-Hyderabad. Start at 4 am, breakfast at N5, lunch at Vivera, you'll reach your destination early afternoon. Discounting Pigugurrala town, remaining drive is a breeze.

[searacer932]

Originally Posted by bblost

Answers inline.


4. What should be the preferred start time on 28th Morning? Don't want to get stuck in Hyderabad traffic.
You will not get stuck in Hyderabad Traffic. Bandlaguda (I live here) is literally on the Hyderabad ORR.

Originally Posted by hserus

Note : If you make a late start in the morning and want to stay the night before you reach Hyderabad, there is the Vivera Grande in Narketpally just as you come off the NAM village road (I won't call it expressway because it is not) and get back onto the 6 lane. Useful if you are feeling tired and don't want to push on.

Originally Posted by narayans80

YAlthough it never made sense for an overnight stay for Madras-Hyderabad. Start at 4 am, breakfast at N5, lunch at Vivera, you'll reach your destination early afternoon. Discounting Pigugurrala town, remaining drive is a breeze.

Thanks team for the inputs. I don't prefer night driving. I think I will slightly change my schedule and start on Republic day 26th. I can do an early morning start (4.00 AM IST) if there is no night curfew . and if the roads are good then I am sure an early morning start makes better sense compared to a night halt.

Let me keep both options open (early morning start or a late afternoon start) based on my work schedule and situation. Unfortunately I cannot travel any day earlier than 26th due to my work situation.

[hareshjethwani]

Will be traveling from Chennai to Vijayawada next week. Any good recommendations for food and bio breaks?
Would prefer something on the highway and not go into the city.
And how is the road condition?

[das.sui]

Originally Posted by searacer932

2. Where can I break for the night stay on 27th? Ongole seems to be a decent option for the night stay.
3. Any good hotels recommended for the night stay?

7. Do we need a E-Pass to go to AP or TS currently?

In case you are planning to stay in Ongole, Mourya Inn is probably the better option around and with Parking facility.
I am currently staying in Ongole..till 25th.

No epass was asked or needed anywhere till Ongole atleast.