[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Sushrutha,
I guess the railway crossing you are referring to is the one on ORR between BEL Circle and RNS (Gorguntelaplya).
What I was referring is an alternative to avoid even the mess you are referring.
Of course, it makes no sense to take this option in case you are staying in South Bangalore.
But, If you are heading from Infantry road, you can reach Mekhri Circle and instead of continuing towards Yeshwantpura from Sadashivanagar Police Station Signal (after Mekhri Circle) take right and get onto New BEL Road, hit Kuvempu Circle and then BEL Circle where you take a right (Straight will go towards Gorguntepalya over the railway crossings).
Taking a right, you will continue till Prestige Wellington Park apartments (Gangamma Circle) and take a left and follow the traffic for another 3-4 Kms to reach Jalahalli cross.
Attaching the link for the route below:

Outer Ring Rd to Subrato Mukharji Rd - Google Maps

Though a little longer, it is a definite time saver and predictable traffic too.

Yep a Lil longer, I used to take this route, when I used to visit relatives place at Hebbal, while coming from CKM.
Yes traffic mess at Gorguntepalya can avoided. But I'll miss out some portion of the elevated expressway for sure.
It's pain to dive below the Elevated expressway till Nelmangala, if you are driving in low slung sedan, due to innumerable road humps.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Yep a Lil longer, I used to take this route, when I used to visit relatives place at Hebbal, while coming from CKM.
Yes traffic mess at Gorguntepalya can avoided. But I'll miss out some portion of the elevated expressway for sure.
It's pain to dive below the Elevated expressway till Nelmangala, if you are driving in low slung sedan, due to innumerable road humps.

I take this road whenever I have to go to the airport. The Goraguntepalya-ORR stretch is way too unpredictable. I once got stuck royally for more than an hour coming from Hebbal side and that too without the railway gates being closed.

That said, you will be missing the full elevated section of the NH4, but you can join the toll road ahead. Btw, the Jalahalli Cross-Gangamma circle stretch is irritating at times when there is heavy traffic, especially if you are stuck behind a bus or truck. But atleast the traffic moves ahead, although at its own pace.

Btw, who all are heading out this evening on NH48? Looks to me that it will be a pretty big rush starting today evening and continuing to tomorrow morning.

[NPV]

Traveled to Mangalore from Bangalore on 13 aug and returned on 15 aug.
Thanks to all the folks who gave me invaluable suggestions/advice on directions, road conditions, food and fuel stops - this forum rocks !
Special thanks to @Fauji for the great advice, thank you Sir !

I took the Kunigal-Channrayapatna-Saklespura-Shiradi route in both directions. Road conditions update:
1. 1-2 Km rough roads with few potholes in Channarayapatna, but manageable
2. 2-3 Km rough roads with potholes in Sakleshpura town, again manageable
3. Now the 'fun' part - 30-35Km stretch on Shiradi Ghats are extremely bad, it's like an offroading/dirt road experience.
It gets you by surprise in both directions because you suddenly encounter one curve that is gravelly and then for 1-2 Km it's good road again before it totally deteriorates, so watch out !
To add to this, we have maniacs (I found a pattern of Bangalore KA registered vehicles) who suddenly get an adrenaline rush on this stretch and start driving zig-zag and extremely fast mostly on the wrong side of the road without caring about oncoming traffic.

Brief Time log:
--------------
13 aug:
5.55 am - Home (near HAL III stage)
1.25 pm - Hotel Poonja Intl. near Hampankatta, Mangalore
(2 breaks - Breakfast at Sharp Food Court 40 mins, Fuel/Coffee stop - Indian Oil/CCD outlet, Udayapura 30 mins)

15 aug:
10.05 am - Hotel Poonja Intl., Mangalore
6.15 pm - Home (near HAL III stage).
4.35 pm - NH48-NH4 junction near Nelamangala
6.15 pm - Home (near HAL III stage) Via BEL circle, New BEL Road, Mekhri circle, Cox Town, Old Mds. Road
(1 break - Lunch at Hotel Kamat Upachar, Udayapura for 1 hour)

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by NPV

I took the Kunigal-Channrayapatna-Saklespura-Shiradi route in both directions. Road conditions update:
1. 1-2 Km rough roads with few potholes in Channarayapatna, but manageable
2. 2-3 Km rough roads with potholes in Sakleshpura town, again manageable
3. Now the 'fun' part - 30-35Km stretch on Shiradi Ghats are extremely bad, it's like an offroading/dirt road experience.
It gets you by surprise in both directions because you suddenly encounter one curve that is gravelly and then for 1-2 Km it's good road again before it totally deteriorates, so watch out !
To add to this, we have maniacs (I found a pattern of Bangalore KA registered vehicles) who suddenly get an adrenaline rush on this stretch and start driving zig-zag and extremely fast mostly on the wrong side of the road without caring about oncoming traffic.

Me too back after long break.

Yes Shiradi is going bad, i would still say its much better than what it used to be during previous rains, but the rate at which it has deteriorated, it may last only a month max, then its all for offroading

Roads have gone bad as soon as the concrete curves end!! which makes me wonder why couldn't they make entire 10-15 km stretch concrete road?

If it does not rain, it is manageable since potholes are easy to spot. but on a rainy day it will be bad.

Looking at the number of bangalore vehicles in Mangalore/udupi, i guessed that the journey back on 15th will be hectic.. and sure it was. But thanks to the 4 lane which is in good shape i could still cover up for the delay at the ghats

[recshenoy]

not related to the route query but some inputs on car buying decision for my friend.

my friend is looking for sedan in 10L range. Current contenders are ANHV, VW Vento, SX4 (all diesel). He does regular trips between mangalore-Bangalore. So which you guys think is a better buy?

Even i am confused in advising him, yeah ANHV is good buy but not so good handling at high speeds, not so good ride. Vento a good car for BLR Hassan Highway ride or when he travels to chennai but cost of ownership unknown. coming to SX4, high ground clearance good for ghat section and roads in mangalore (i dont see these getting repaired anywhere in near future :( ). also a 1.3L engine gives good mileage compared to other 2 thence cheaper commute.

Regular travelers on mangalore Bangalore route, kindly advise

[avasekeh]

Just did the Bangalore - Shiradi - Ujire - Udupi - Murudeshwar stretch last week. Shiradi ghat is going bad and there are very bad stretches that just crop up suddenly after a couple of km's of smooth going, so beware!. But last year, when i took the shiradi ghat route, it was much much much more horrible so i would say that this time round, it was more "pleasant".

The Ujire strech is pretty good too. I left Bangalore at about 5:30ish and reached Dharmasthala at 12ish with a couple of quick breaks in between. In time for darshan and prasadam lunch at the annaporna hall at Dharmasthala.

Udupi - Murdeshwar stretch is not too good either. But this was nothing compared to the condition of the roads from Mangalore - Calicut on the NH17 highway - AAARRRGGHH. Sad excuse for a road with craters all the way. Extremely bad roads, but i suppose this update is more appropriate in the kerala-road-condition thread.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by recshenoy

not related to the route query but some inputs on car buying decision for my friend.

my friend is looking for sedan in 10L range. Current contenders are ANHV, VW Vento, SX4 (all diesel). He does regular trips between mangalore-Bangalore. So which you guys think is a better buy?

Even i am confused in advising him, yeah ANHV is good buy but not so good handling at high speeds, not so good ride. Vento a good car for BLR Hassan Highway ride or when he travels to chennai but cost of ownership unknown. coming to SX4, high ground clearance good for ghat section and roads in mangalore (i dont see these getting repaired anywhere in near future :( ). also a 1.3L engine gives good mileage compared to other 2 thence cheaper commute.

Regular travelers on mangalore Bangalore route, kindly advise

Wow.. i guess we need "what car" section specific to travelling between mangalore-bangalore.. thanks to our road conditions

From what i know, SX4 diesel is selling well in the coastal districts. it being maruti helps so that people dont have to worry about service.

SX4 has nice ground clearance and the engine is suppose to be pretty frugal, i came to know atleast 3 of my relatives have ordered sx4 diesel

Having said that, Is travelling between Mangalore-bangalore a prime requirement of your friend? If we take care of our cars well, i dont think any of the modern cars like to go to service station more than once a year !!

[recshenoy]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Having said that, Is travelling between Mangalore-bangalore a prime requirement of your friend? If we take care of our cars well, i dont think any of the modern cars like to go to service station more than once a year !!

Thanks Raj. .

yeah, almost every or alternate week he travels between mangalore Bangalore. Currently he travels in his friends Dzire. Once he buys the car he is planning to go by his car as well. So car should withstand the ghat section/ pot hole / bad roads etc etc

[lohithrao]

Ask him to buy a Bolero CRDE, its the best bet any day for this route. for sure some comfort needs to be compromised but in practical view he will be very happy.

Originally Posted by recshenoy

Thanks Raj. .

yeah, almost every or alternate week he travels between mangalore Bangalore. Currently he travels in his friends Dzire. Once he buys the car he is planning to go by his car as well. So car should withstand the ghat section/ pot hole / bad roads etc etc

[jkrishnakj]

I Finished my trip last week. Left on the 12th of August. Absolutely no traffic anywhere, given it was a 4 AM start on a friday.

Roads upto the start of the shiradi ghats are super. The ghat roads are slowly detiriorating, smooth for a few metres and craters immediately after. The drive was very nice, with rains hitting you every now and then. Immense number of water falls that you see. You can actually "Hear" the falls from a distance before you get to see them.

Day 1 : We covered Kukke , crossed Mangalore after visiting Mangaladevi temple and halted at Udipi ( Hotel Summer Park ). Didnt go to Dharmasthala, since the CM of Karnataka was planning a visit that day. At Kukke, there were hardly 15-20 people for darshan. Perhaps, due to Friday, a working day.

Day 2 : We visited Sringeri and Horanadu. No crowds again. Was raining throughout the day. We took the Udipi - Agumbe - Sringeri road. Good condition. Amazing route. Very scenic.

Day 2 evening : We visited Kollur. The only place where we encountered Crowd. Mostly, TT's from Tamilnadu. Could see plenty of peolpe in RED clothing, may be the Sakthi clan crowd. It didnt taken more than 10 minutes for darshan though. Took the Udipi, Kundapur highway road.

Day 3 morning : Visited Upidpi Krishna temple. Good crowd, but didnt have to wait beyond 20 minutes in the queue. Had the customary Masala Dosa, Buns and Bickit Roti at Mitra Samaj. We then left for Bangalore at 11.30 AM

Took the same route as the onward. Udipi - Mangalore - Shiradi - Sakleshpur - Hassan - Neelamangala toll - Nice road - JP Nagar.

The toll at Nelamangala took quite a while. The wait for almost half an hour.

Overall, a good drive, nice rains, good darshans at temples, scenic routes and a well deserved stress breaker for 3 days.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

I Immense number of water falls that you see. You can actually "Hear" the falls from a distance before you get to see them.

Water falls distracted you so much that you dint realize the road condition.

On a lighter note, isn't this how roads leading to waterfalls are ? people drive 4x4 deep into the jungle to spot the waterfalls. we are lucky to spot a dozen of them right on the NH.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

The toll at Nelamangala took quite a while. The wait for almost half an hour.

Even on my return i noticed heavy rush at the toll booth(at 4PM!!!). agreed the road saves alot of time, but spending 15-20 mins at the tollbooth made me decide that next time when i get back, i will either reach in the afternoons or late night

[Samurai]

I did Shiradi ghat again today, this is my 6th trip on Shiradi since June. Roads are really bad, I still managed to complete the journey in 8 1/4 hours that included breakfast (Mayura), lunch (Ujire) and even a 30 minute nap in the middle. Had very little sleep last night, had to compensate on the road.


I think it is time we officially declare Shiradi Ghats as properly screwed for this year, especially for cars. Even Bajagoli-Karkala, and Karkala-Manipal is pretty bad.

My return trip will not be via Shiradi, it is time to start looking at the alternatives again.

[_chikku]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I did Shiradi ghat again today, this is my 6th trip on Shiradi since June. Roads are really bad, I still managed to complete the journey in 8 1/4 hours that included breakfast (Mayura), lunch (Ujire) and even a 30 minute nap in the middle. Had very little sleep last night, had to compensate on the road.

I think it is time we officially declare Shiradi Ghats as properly screwed for this year, especially for cars. Even Bajagoli-Karkala, and Karkala-Manipal is pretty bad.

My return trip will not be via Shiradi, it is time to start looking at the alternatives again.

So its going to be via madikeri or charmadi... But how is the road condition after madikeri. There will be a lot of traffic again after this week on account of festival ....

[bullinb]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Even on my return i noticed heavy rush at the toll booth(at 4PM!!!). agreed the road saves alot of time, but spending 15-20 mins at the tollbooth made me decide that next time when i get back, i will either reach in the afternoons or late night

Have tried those both. Even at 1am, had to spend nearly 20 mins because of morons forming multiple lines for each booth. Even the mostly well behaved multi-axle truck drivers seem to hate queuing up.

3pm wasn't much better either. If not for those umpteen road bumps on the road below, I guess avoiding the elevated road would have been faster; especially in the early hours.

Worst was when I landed up around 7pm when coming back from Shimoga a couple of months back. Had to jostle for 45 mins to get to the booth.

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by _chikku

So its going to be via madikeri or charmadi... But how is the road condition after madikeri. There will be a lot of traffic again after this week on account of festival ....

Just returned from a Udupi - Madikeri - Mysore trip.

The roads between Puttur and Sampaje is the worst stretch. The Sampaje ghat is very good.

The roads within Coorg are unpredictacle, very bad in some stretches and good on most stretches.

Hunsur to Mysore was a delight.