[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by ashis89

You can avoid Naidupet - Tirupati. The best route is Vijayawada - Nellore - Gudur - Yerpadu - Tirupati - Vellore. It is 20 odd kms shorter and Google Maps also happens to suggest this route.

FYI, I went on this Yerpadu-Gudur route 10 days ago, as suggested by Google maps too. It's a 2 lane road, and about 15 kms initially are excellent. But after that, roads are not good at all - it's all big craters, all the way till Gudur. It was a nightmare to drive on this road after dark. Maybe the recent rains due to the cyclone effect, have damaged these roads.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

FYI, I went on this Yerpadu-Gudur route 10 days ago, as suggested by Google maps too. It's a 2 lane road, and about 15 kms initially are excellent. But after that, roads are not good at all - it's all big craters, all the way till Gudur. It was a nightmare to drive on this road after dark. Maybe the recent rains due to the cyclone effect, have damaged these roads.

Thanks for the update. I will give the Tirupati - Naidupet route a try later this month to see if the road work is complete already. But a quick look in GMaps shows that Tirupati - Naidupet - Nellore (3 hr 16 mins/135 kms) and Tirupati - Yerpadu - Gudur - Nellore (3 hr 6 mins/132 kms) are just identical now.

A 20 km stretch of broken roads before reaching Gudur was already known. I could do 20-50kmph on this stretch. Maybe it has worsened post the recent rains.

[dipdawiz]

Originally Posted by airguitar

Kind folks,

Driving from Bengaluru to Siliguri this week in Thar. Thinking of night halts this way: a) Vijayawada b) Barkul c) Durgapur d) Siliguri

1. Am I being conservative on day 1 ? Should I push to Rajahmundry instead?
2. Could you please suggest clean, hygienic restaurants on the highway for lunch near Nellore or Ongole ?
3. Likewise, could you suggest a place for lunch between Vijayawada and Barkul on the highway, given that we will now not need to touch Vizag ?

Rajahmundry, now Rajamahendravaram, from Bangalore is easily doable, if you start at 4am. I started at 4am, reached Rajahmundry around 5:30pm. You can keep a constant speed of 100~110 without issues in 80% of the route. It consist of 30 min breakfast break in Tirupati, 10 min bio-break after Nellore, 10 min refueling after Ongle. 45 min lunch before Vijaywada (Guntur biriyani at "Biriyani's and more"). For stay you can see La Hospin (around 3.5k a night) or Anand Regency (around 3k a night) with clean rooms, good parking space and restaurant.

Originally Posted by PearlJam

FYI, I went on this Yerpadu-Gudur route 10 days ago, as suggested by Google maps too. It's a 2 lane road, and about 15 kms initially are excellent. But after that, roads are not good at all - it's all big craters, all the way till Gudur. It was a nightmare to drive on this road after dark. Maybe the recent rains due to the cyclone effect, have damaged these roads.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Thanks for the update. I will give the Tirupati - Naidupet route a try later this month to see if the road work is complete already. But a quick look in GMaps shows that Tirupati - Naidupet - Nellore (3 hr 16 mins/135 kms) and Tirupati - Yerpadu - Gudur - Nellore (3 hr 6 mins/132 kms) are just identical now.

A 20 km stretch of broken roads before reaching Gudur was already known. I could do 20-50kmph on this stretch. Maybe it has worsened post the recent rains.

I just drove through that part day before yesterday. The craters are too big now and it is more than 20Km of bad roads, at places had to hard break and crawl though them at 5kmph. I also took this as google showed it and it was some 15min faster as per google, but If I compare the broken road now, I would prefer the Naidupet route (considering it is still has at least same quality as I saw last year).

For rest of the route till Kolkata on NH 16 was as expected. No major diversion till Balasore. Some 5-6 very slow diversions are still there around Balasore. After this roads are good till Kolkata.

Also saw an NH acting as airstrip as part of some strategic planning (https://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...a-2532148.html). The road is almost 10 lanes wide for almost 5km and no divider whatsoever, only markings. Saw runway style markings of headings too. I have never seen this type of road before. It was after entering WB, around Kharagpur bypass (forgot exact location).

Also noticed too many cow on the maiden or crossing road, causing trucks/cars to swerving dangerously - mainly in Odisha and Bengal. So kept to left or middle lane wherever possible.

[mayukh42]

Originally Posted by dipdawiz

I would prefer the Naidupet route (considering it is still has at least same quality as I saw last year).

+1.

Tirupati-Naidupeta stretch, though under construction, is free of uncertainties. In my travel during Oct-Nov, I also took this route because I did not find the alternate route via Venkatagiri convincing enough, with too many cars taking that narrow exit at Yerpadu, on top of the info from TBHP that it was not good surface after a few kms. I continued on the main route, and was on NH16 in about an hour and 10 mins from Tirupati.

Parts of this stretch are open on one carriageway, which by looks of it is going to be a 6-lane highway. Some other parts have onward and return lanes barricaded on service roads. These make the traffic flow fast, with occasional slowdowns near Sri Kalahasti and 2-3 kms before Naidupeta.

Google Maps suggests routes based on distance and average speed, but it is always better to stick to designated highways even if parts are under construction. At least it will be higher priority for the police to step in if there is a bottleneck, and NH surface would still be above a baseline quality level even if bad. On top of that, the alternate route has about same distance of 130 kms, completely 2-lane, whereas this one at least has 60 kms of uninterrupted 4-lane after Naidupeta, which helps with timings up to Nellore.

So stick to Naidupeta, alternate route is not worth it.

Originally Posted by dipdawiz

airstrip as part of some strategic planning ... The road is almost 10 lanes wide for almost 5km ... It was after entering WB, around Kharagpur bypass

That place is Belda, just before bypass. Another such airstrip in this route is between Ongole and Chilakaluripet.

[JC_Redstreak]

+1
I did the yerpadu exit -Gudur-NH16 yesterday. Roads are horrible. On my return trip for sure I’m going to avoid it.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Thanks for the update. I will give the Tirupati - Naidupet route a try later this month to see if the road work is complete already. But a quick look in GMaps shows that Tirupati - Naidupet - Nellore (3 hr 16 mins/135 kms) and Tirupati - Yerpadu - Gudur - Nellore (3 hr 6 mins/132 kms) are just identical now.

I took this route last week. While road is okay, there are frequent diversions due to ongoing road work. Took me 2 hours for this 65 km stretch. I might try the Gudur route on the return leg.


Apart from this, due to highway repair going on between Gudur and Nellore, traffic is diverted to the right lane. On that day, there was a massive pileup of traffic due to this setup and a minor accident which happened on that lane. Close to 6 km of traffic stuck on either side and it took me 55 minutes to cross this.

[samuelkoyya]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I took this route last week. While road is okay, there are frequent diversions due to ongoing road work. Took me 2 hours for this 65 km stretch. I might try the Gudur route on the return leg.

I just took the Yerpedu-Venkatagiri-Gudur route and it is too bad. It took more time for me to cross this section than the time shown in google. Stretch between Venkatagiri and Balayapalli is in very bad shape while the rest of the road is good/managable. I took the Naidupeta-Tirupati road on way back and it took 1hr 40mins to cover this stretch. This route has too many diversions but I think this is preferred one compared to venkatagiri route.

[chembilath]

Originally Posted by samuelkoyya

I just took the Yerpedu-Venkatagiri-Gudur route and it is too bad. It took more time for me to cross this section than the time shown in google. Stretch between Venkatagiri and Balayapalli is in very bad shape while the rest of the road is good/managable. I took the Naidupeta-Tirupati road on way back and it took 1hr 40mins to cover this stretch. This route has too many diversions but I think this is preferred one compared to venkatagiri route.

I had taken this route last week and should say atleast 20kms of the roads are a disaster, would take atleast 40mins to cover that section, then there is a railway crossing, where you could get stuck if unlucky. Then Google maps could trouble
you again by misleading you from the NH-16 to the Gudur tirupati road via a broken bridge, which cannot be crossed by any sedan or hatchbacks, hence please do not attempt to cross it, you will really hurt the car's bottom .

[samuelkoyya]

I did few back to back trips Bangalore to Rajamundry recently and here are my findings on places to stop I could find for food, washrooms and fuel.

This list is only what I could find so far. So please feel free to add.

Pakashala (Near Hoskote)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/C9x3VrgtASwXvaDF8
Food: Good
Washrooms: Clean
On left side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

IOCL COCO Fuel Station (Near Narsapur)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9Wk2Uxnm1d6xQStTA
Fuel: Good
Washrooms: Never used
On left side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Nandi Food Plaza (Near Chittor)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wPU1eVreaR14fVMg8
Food: Good
Washrooms: Clean
On right side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Radhe Hotel (Near gadanki toll)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xj8W6dWeEMg6gvK18
Food: Good
Washrooms: Clean
On left side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Southern Spice (Tirupati)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ac7CqAmVLcz3z2qh9
Food: Manageble
Washrooms: Clean
On left side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

A5/London Street Restaurant (Near Gudur)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/m6U7MPMeswsVt3Pr6
Food: Manageble
Washrooms: Clean
On right side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Padmavati Vilas (Near Manubolu)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/r49LCLe4CCrWsmnV6
Food: Manageble
Washrooms: Clean
On right side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.
There is a BPCL fuel station right next to this point which has clean washrooms as well.

BPCL Ghar COCO (Near Ulavapadu)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XW3cJ8iyo7pVKM267
Washrooms: Never used
On left side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Tanguturu Toll Plaza
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wFjFLhA9ABoHVaDb6
Washrooms: Manageble

BPCL Ghar COCO (Near Ongole)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DbvFSAeyT4wHqPQQA
Washrooms: Manageble
On right side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

IOCL COCO (Near Ongole)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ugCm2tzSRQkiwmk86
Washrooms: Manageble
On right side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Delhi Highway Restaurant (Near Ongole)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/r36wa2VVtaXPQVZ16
Food: Good
Washrooms: Clean
On right side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Bollapalli Toll Plaza
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zWgUDiMNsXUR7hJq8
Washrooms: Clean

Kaza Toll Plaza
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7x5jiKfHVzPCARLU7
Washrooms: Manageble

Cross Roads Restaurant (Near Gannavaram)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FM81D6zNzhzLJJQM9
Food: Good
Washrooms: Clean
On left side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Relax Food Court (Near Eluru)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iqe9foqyLBDRfGwBA
Food: Good
Washrooms: Clean
On right side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

Garuda Food Court (Near Bhimadolu)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/VjxVCUgosdk5XkmN9
Food: Good
Washrooms: Clean
On left side of the road when travelling from BLR to RJY.

BPCL COCO (Near Kovvur)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1dkqBewsxYNikftL6
Washrooms: Never used
This fuel station is slightly away from NH so will need a short detour.

[BehindSteering]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I took this route last week. While road is okay, there are frequent diversions due to ongoing road work. Took me 2 hours for this 65 km stretch. I might try the Gudur route on the return leg.
Attachment 2549073

Apart from this, due to highway repair going on between Gudur and Nellore, traffic is diverted to the right lane. On that day, there was a massive pileup of traffic due to this setup and a minor accident which happened on that lane. Close to 6 km of traffic stuck on either side and it took me 55 minutes to cross this.

Attachment 2549074
Attachment 2549076

I took the Tirupati - Naidupeta via Sri Kalahasti route last week. The stretch is around 50 KMs and it took 1.5 hours for me to cross. There are lots of diversions in place, but traffic was moving. Congestions was present in Sri Kalahasti, but it was still better road condition than the other alternatives. I will suggest to take this route.

[ashis89]

I did the return trip a week ago.

Originally Posted by ashis89

I took this route last week. While road is okay, there are frequent diversions due to ongoing road work. Took me 2 hours for this 65 km stretch. I might try the Gudur route on the return leg.
Attachment 2549073

After reading multiple posts about the Gudur route, I stuck to the Naidupet route.

I left NH16 (Naidupeta) at 11:45am and finally entered NH140 (post Tirupati bypass) at 1:20PM. It’s a 75 km stretch and those diversions with those frequent speed breakers every odd km is very tiring.

Interestingly, I had overtaken 2 cars, a sedan and a crossover, a little after Nellore. Those 2 cars reached the Yerpadu junction a couple of seconds before me, coming via Gudur. I had driven non-stop so far and I am assuming they did too. It took them slightly lesser time inspite of the road conditions.

Apart from this, due to highway repair going on between Gudur and Nellore, traffic is diverted to the right lane. On that day, there was a massive pileup of traffic due to this setup and a minor accident which happened on that lane. Close to 6 km of traffic stuck on either side and it took me 55 minutes to cross this.

I got stuck here again on the return leg although the wait time was shorter this time.


Overall, the best part of the trip is the Vizag bypass. Took me 30 minutes to cross the city and saving almost 90 minutes against earlier trips.

[nma83]

I got a chance to see the GSLV launch from SHAR at sriharikota this weekend. Found this thread to be the closest one to ask about the route.
What's the best option from Bengaluru (south) to Tada/Sullurpeta near sriharikota? Maps shows me 2 options:
1. Via Kolar-Tirupati
2. Via Krishnagiri-Chennai
I'm tempted to pick 2 since the highway is amazing till Chennai. But not sure how is it beyond.
7 hr 22 min (398*km)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/CuchsPb2ecsEtvfN6

[nma83]

Originally Posted by nma83

...
What's the best option from Bengaluru (south) to Tada/Sullurpeta near sriharikota? Maps shows me 2 options:
1. Via Kolar-Tirupati
2. Via Krishnagiri-Chennai

Replying to this myself in case it helps anyone else going to Sriharikota from Bengaluru.
After posting this question, I went through the Chennai route threads and found that option 2 was pretty bad beyond Kanchipuram or so due to construction. So went with option 1.
The roads till Tirupati need no introduction - beautiful all the way. I was wondering the need for such wide roads between Chitoor and Tirupati since the traffic looks so sparse even on a weekend.
Tirupati to Srikalahasthi is the exact opposite - horrendous with many diversions, bad roads and even worse traffic due to lorries piling up on the narrow roads. It should match the roads leading up it till Tirupati once the road construction and bypasses are complete.
From Srikalahasthi, maps proposed a direct road going to the Sriharikota/Sullurpeta junction after a place called Kandriga. Do NOT take this route since the final 12Km is extremely narrow with huge drops at the shoulder. My Octy would have been badly hit if I ever had to put a wheel down, fortunately there is almost no traffic on this road.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/HZSDzsZcXKuJzYq99

So while coming back, I asked the locals and took the road that's the real Tirupati road from Tada. This was a far better option, a bit of bad road only inside the Tada town and extremely good surface all the way afterwards - until you hit the horror show after Srikalahasthi.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZEFBRZvfAxYBbncD7