[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by iVento

mentions it as a 60m, 6 lane highway.

I guess they have included service road also in the count. That could be the reason for the confusion.

I remember in some earlier posts that it was mentioned as 6 lanes plus service road on either side. So, it would be 6+4 lanes.

Though I am not sure if the service lane will be present for entire distance or just at major towns and villages like it is there for GQ sections?

[gadadhar]

Last week while driving to Bandipur Via Kanakpura, Chamrajnagar, Gundelpet, Google maps took me through TNarasipura from Malavali. Though it is my regular route for all trips that side, I followed the map in Malavali assuming it was trying to guide me through some short cut to bypass the town. There is road work going on in many areas and some stretches had only mud/rubble road. Route is very scenic with wast stretches of paddy fields and the final stretch before CNagar is freshly laid and a bliss to drive. Once road work is completed, I think this will be the preferred route. I stuck to NH 948 on the way back

[sairamboko]

What's with Brindavan gardens? Yesterday evening I went to the gardens and started back to my hotel around 7. We were stuck on the bridge for more than 30 mins. Later I went in the opposite direction and took a round about route which was almost 20kms extra!!

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

What's with Brindavan gardens?

Could be due to college & school excursion trips. Nov and Jan are peak time for excursions, which means additional buses and more crowd.

[sairamboko]

Yeah , there was heavy rush but the traffic was standstill from toll gate till the bridge in front of the garden. This was towards the city and the other direction was free. Couldn't understand why the traffic was holed up for a long time!

[iVento]

Update: NHAI starts tender process for Bengaluru - Mysuru 6 lane road

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has kicked off the tender process for the six-laning of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, raising hopes among the regular travellers between the two cities.

The NHAI is taking up the six-laning under the PPP mode and awarding the project on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis. It has set January 5 as the last date for the submission of request for qualification bids from interested developers. The NHAI will invite finance bids (request for proposal) after shortlisting the developers eligible to bid.

• The expressway will have 10 lanes including two-lane service roads on either side and three-lane main carriageway in each direction.
• It has divided the 117-km project into two packages: One from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta, the other from Nidaghatta to Mysuru.
• The NHAI has estimated the construction cost at Rs 4,495 crore and requirement of land at 1,232 acres across seven taluks.
• The actual construction would start in the later part of 2017
• HAI's decision to split the project means both contractors will start the work simultaneously and complete the work in 24 months.
• The new expressway will be open for use either late 2019 or calendar 2020.
• The expressway will cover a distance of 117 km from the Panchamukhi temple after NICE road in Bengaluru to the Columbia Asia Hospital junction in Mysuru.
• It is expected to cut the travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes.

LINK

[rjalihal]

Hello My Fellow BHPians,

I plan a family trip to Ooty for new years leaving Bangalore on 31st morning. I have been on this stretch multiple times but never on 31st December. So a few queries I have:-

1. We have rented a luxury TT with a chauffeur who will be doing all the driving for us. So based on that, what is a good time to be leaving Bangalore if I want to reach Ooty by 2pm latest?

2. Route, I want to stick to the traditional Bangalore-Mysore-Kalhatti-Ooty drive since we have 2 Aussie NRIs for whom a clean rest-room is mandate. Are TT's allowed up the 36 hairpin bend road?

3. Do they actually check a TT at the border crossing? Check as in open all bags and stuff?

So just 3 queries. I look forward your replies.

Wish you all a Happy New Year in advance! Party safe.

Cheers,
Rohan

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by rjalihal

-

1. We have rented a luxury TT with a chauffeur who will be doing all the driving for us. So based on that, what is a good time to be leaving Bangalore if I want to reach Ooty by 2pm latest?

2. Route, I want to stick to the traditional Bangalore-Mysore-Kalhatti-Ooty drive since we have 2 Aussie NRIs for whom a clean rest-room is mandate. Are TT's allowed up the 36 hairpin bend road?

3. Do they actually check a TT at the border crossing? Check as in open all bags and stuff?

Few inputs.

1. Being a weekend and New Years Eve- Expect Bangalore Mysore to be crowded especially post 6am. If you can leave by 5am, that would be best. I think you will need ~8 hours including a couple of small breaks. Post 6am-expect this time to go up.

2. I don't think a TT can comfortably go up the 36 hair pin route. But may be wrong. No personal experience. Even if it can, maybe more comfortable to take the Gudalur route.

3. If it is a family crowd, they typically don't check too much.

[rjalihal]

Hello My Fellow BHPians,

So I just got back from Ooty and the journey was overall very comfortable. We stuck to the usual Bangalore - Mysore - Kalhatti - Ooty road while going. We left at 5:30 am and were at Sullivan Court (our hotel) by 12:30 pm. Roads are peaceful. They are widening the road between Mysore and Bandipur and most of it is done. A few patches of mud road do exist, but not a major concern. There is a Coffee Day as you start the climb, which is a welcome change as you get a clean rest-room (handy if you are traveling with ladies). Considering we were traveling in a Tempo Traveler (TT), it handled the 36 hair-pin road with ease. We had a seasoned chauffeur who had been to Ooty numerous times. Initially, we stopped at Adigas for breakfast, and it was a mixed bag. There was a weird smell in the restaurant, which put my family off. However, when it came to food, I had the set dosa and enjoyed it. I have eaten in worse smelling places in my life so no complaints from my side.

For the return journey, we took the longer Pykara route which goes via Gudalur as the driver said the TT cannot come down the steep curves of Kalhatti. So it was a much longer, but a more scenic drive. Roads on this stretch are also good and a few spots have a diversion, but nothing major. Any car can handle it. We stopped at Poojari's Fishland just after Mysore for lunch and lost time there as the food was epic. Lots of traffic on the way back and this bogs you down big time.

So in a nutshell, if you are worried about the condition of the roads, don't be. 98% of the roads are well asphalted and only a handful of very small stretches have mud roads - but these too are leveled and hardened. Only ticking off part is that the Bandipur/Mudumalai stretch has way too many nasty speed-breakers which is a killjoy especially traveling in a TT like me.

Off topic - I must take a moment to applaud Siddeshwar Travels for arranging the most luxurious TT ever. From personal A/C vents, to an LED tv (which had my X-box hooked up!), to a fridge which we stocked up with, well lets just say a variety of refreshing beverages (the driver was cool with that), a killer audio system, multi point chargers everywhere, and most importantly, super comfy reclining leather seating which made you sleep like a baby. They also called me on a daily basis to make sure everything was fine. A highly recommended vendor for a family trip.

Cheers!
-Rohan

[eethanhunt]

Admin - please delete the post if deemed Off Topic.

Guys - I am planning to go to Talakadu next week and wanted to know the road conditions after taking deviation from Madduru. I also plan to go to Shivana Samudra from Talakadu. Once done with Shivana Samudra - What's the best route to go to Mysore. Any guidance is highly appreciated. Thank you.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by eethanhunt

Admin - please delete the post if deemed Off Topic.

Guys - I am planning to go to Talakadu next week and wanted to know the road conditions after taking deviation from Madduru. I also plan to go to Shivana Samudra from Talakadu. Once done with Shivana Samudra - What's the best route to go to Mysore. Any guidance is highly appreciated. Thank you.

Rather than via Maddur, maybe better to take the Kanakpura-Malavalli-Talakkadu route. Road conditions are very good. But note that it is a 2 lane road all through.

After Shivanaasamudra, to Mysore, via Malavalli-Bannur-Mysore should be the best option. Road conditions will be very good (apart from a couple of km around Bannur where, as I recollect from posts here, there was work going on)

[kala]

Originally Posted by eethanhunt

Guys - I am planning to go to Talakadu next week and wanted to know the road conditions after taking deviation from Madduru. I also plan to go to Shivana Samudra from Talakadu. Once done with Shivana Samudra - What's the best route to go to Mysore. Any guidance is highly appreciated. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Rather than via Maddur, maybe better to take the Kanakpura-Malavalli-Talakkadu route. Road conditions are very good. But note that it is a 2 lane road all through.

If you could reschedule your trip as Bangalore-Shivanasamudra-Talakadu-Mysore, that might save you some distance. Bangalore-Kanakapura-Malavalli-Shivanasamudra-Belakavadi-Talakad-Madapura-T.Narsipur-Mysore would probably offer the best roads and save you about half an hour in terms of driving time (compared to Bangalore-Talakad-Shivanasamudra-Mysore).

The only reason to go via Madduru would be the better breakfast options available on Bangalore-Mysore road. Not sure if the roadwork on the Maddur-Malavalli stretch is complete now - it used to be a pretty bad about a year ago, but I had read reports here that they were relaying that section, so it is possible that the road is OK by now.

[eethanhunt]

Thanks guys. I may stick to Mysore - Madduru considering the breakfast options as I have my daughter who is young. Thanks again for the guidance.

[perty]

Originally Posted by kala

Not sure if the roadwork on the Maddur-Malavalli stretch is complete now - it used to be a pretty bad about a year ago, but I had read reports here that they were relaying that section, so it is possible that the road is OK by now.

It's not up to the mark yet. I had travelled on this road in Dec 2015 and again in Jan 2017. It's a lot better than what it was a year ago, but it's still far from being completed. Road work has been completed near Maddur and it's fantastic now. But a lot of work is still going on in stretches. There is a town that this road passes through at the midway point, cant recollect the name of the town, but they have closed down one half of the 4 laned road when it passes through this town and pushed all traffic to the other half. This becomes a major bottleneck with bikes, private buses, hay filled bullock carts and tractors all jostling with each other.
There are also quite a few deviations that suddenly pop up when you are cruising along. My advice is to drive along this stretch during the daylight hours.

[eethanhunt]

Originally Posted by perty

It's not up to the mark yet. I had travelled on this road in Dec 2015 and again in Jan 2017. It's a lot better than what it was a year ago, but it's still far from being completed. Road work has been completed near Maddur and it's fantastic now. But a lot of work is still going on in stretches. There is a town that this road passes through at the midway point, cant recollect the name of the town, but they have closed down one half of the 4 laned road when it passes through this town and pushed all traffic to the other half. This becomes a major bottleneck with bikes, private buses, hay filled bullock carts and tractors all jostling with each other.
There are also quite a few deviations that suddenly pop up when you are cruising along. My advice is to drive along this stretch during the daylight hours.

I would be traveling during the day so may be I will be slow and careful. Thanks for the extra details.