[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by Digital Vampire

Considering the present road condition, is this still the best route?

The last time I traveled (~6 months back), the roads inside Magady town was literally non-existent. Is that still the case?

Will going via Neelamangala (to avoid Magadi) land me in a traffic nightmare?

Presently, the route via Nelamangala is the best route. It's been quite a while since when traveled via Magadi town so, I do not know if the roads have been relaid or not. Having said that, the Nelamangala route is very good and you can take the route blindly. Since you will be coming through the NICE road, there will be no traffic nightmares at all. Just make sure you enter the toll road immediately after exiting NICE and remember to take the exit from the toll road towards Mangalore.

For Shiradi ghat road conditions, you can refer the last 2 pages on the thread

[rajshenoy]

I second Addy.

The toll road till nelamangala is fully operational and so is the NH stretch till kunigal(including the bypass) you will never know when you reached nelamangala and passed kunigal. forget Magadi.

[uvmallya]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Guys i need some information on the Madikeri-sampaje-sulya-puttur-mani stretch.

I will be driving October first week(from Bangalore) and need to travel towards Sulya. (i dont think i need to take shiradi-uppinangadi-puttur-sulya for this )

Roads till Madikeri should be in good shape. also i hope the same till sampaje. but i dont know how bad roads are post sampaje ? can anyone update ?

I also got to know that some Road widening is happening inside Sulya city, so traffic is diverted(does anyone know this ?)

I did Kushalnagar to Mangalore 3 days ago. Kushalnagar to Madikeri is good though you encounter about 6 to 7 kms of bad road as you enter and leave Madikeri town. The ghat section road is quite good till you reach about 4 or 5 kms towards the end of the ghat. From Sampaje the road is good. But since I had to travel to Mangalore I took the road towards Kukke Subramanya just before a few kms from Sullia. Yes, I heard that the road in Sullia town has been dug up and had seen a picture of this in the local newspaper a couple of weeks ago.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

For Shiradi ghat road conditions, you can refer the last 2 pages on the thread

Actually, this is a very good idea. Anybody who comes to this thread to ask a question should be asked to refer the last 3 pages, before expecting a fresh answer. Often we discuss a road for an entire page and somebody comes along and asks the same question whose answer can be found just by scrolling up.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Actually, this is a very good idea. Anybody who comes to this thread to ask a question should be asked to refer the last 3 pages, before expecting a fresh answer. Often we discuss a road for an entire page and somebody comes along and asks the same question whose answer can be found just by scrolling up.

Going off-topic(but its a fact)
Questions have been same since past 2-3 years and the answers have been same too

I just wonder sometimes that any random page i open might have same discussion and have suggestions about same route

I am waiting for the day when we have to close the thread(not because people stop traveling by road, but all the possible routes will be in good condition!!).

May be then we can convert this thread for writing down travelogues, scenery and the snaps of waterfalls etc.

[lohithrao]

I think we need a bulletin board with the latest condition related info running on it and also a chart stating which vehicles can take the road on that condition...lolz!

[Samurai]

I think it can be safely said that the 2011 monsoon has come to an end. No rain since 4-5 days. I have started using AC in Manipal, and clothes are drying overnight.

That means the healing (of roads) can begin.

Last year it was raining until November, most of the crops got lost.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I think it can be safely said that the 2011 monsoon has come to an end. No rain since 4-5 days. I have started using AC in Manipal, and clothes are drying overnight.

That means the healing (of roads) can begin.

Last year it was raining until November, most of the crops got lost.

Yes, we are feeling the heat here in Bangalore too. Last year IIRC, teh monsoon started early, took a break in the middle and started again late throwing most of the agricultural cycles out of order.

Hopefully, the roads should be done up now. But, as always I'm sure the road works will start only in April/May (just before next year's monsoon)

[libranof1987]

Road update : As per suggestions, I took NH48 from B'lore - Manipal. The road is really good to drive on except for the 30km Shiradi ghat stretch.

NH4 till Neelmangala is good as always; the tolled part of NH48 is bliss to drive on. A major part of NH48 before Hassan has road expansion going on so traffic is only on 1-lane. At night, this could be a problem.

Shiradi ghat is terrible; the road surface has eroded at 90% places. The 30km stretch is a dust-bath, will easily take 1.5 hrs +.

After that, it is a pleasant drive. Mangalore - Manipal is good except for the places there are traffic diversions.

Funny thing : some flyovers in M'lore and Surathkal have been under construction since 2006 and they seem to be in the exact state as they were when I left Manipal in 2009! Guess the contractor just forgot about it.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I think it can be safely said that the 2011 monsoon has come to an end. No rain since 4-5 days.

Tell me about it!

Manipal is boiling. I was using the a/c from 8am all throughout my drive to and fro Bangalore - Manipal.

[Digital Vampire]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Road update : As per suggestions, I took NH48 from B'lore - Manipal. The road is really good to drive on except for the 30km Shiradi ghat stretch.

NH4 till Neelmangala is good as always; the tolled part of NH48 is bliss to drive on. A major part of NH48 before Hassan has road expansion going on so traffic is only on 1-lane. At night, this could be a problem.

Shiradi ghat is terrible; the road surface has eroded at 90% places. The 30km stretch is a dust-bath, will easily take 1.5 hrs +

Thanks for all the suggestions. Just back to Bangalore after the BLR-MLR-BLR trip and I totally agree with libranof1987. Took 7 hrs for onward journey and 7.5 hrs on the way back including 45 mins breakfast break at Ossur.

Shiradi Ghat is totally gone and those 30 kms are indeed a torture. Luckily the private vehicle traffic is very less possibly due to the road condition or was it the timing?

Surprisingly I saw a few Civics doing Shiradi ghats!!! I wonder how they managed.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by uvmallya

But since I had to travel to Mangalore I took the road towards Kukke Subramanya just before a few kms from Sullia. Yes, I heard that the road in Sullia town has been dug up and had seen a picture of this in the local newspaper a couple of weeks ago.

What i thought was that road is towards puttur, are you saying there is a way to reach kukke Subramanya without going to Sulya ?

To be specific, i need to go to Bellare town, that is why i am taking madikeri-sulya route.

Edit:

Just checked google maps and found that the shortest route to reach Bellare town(near subramanya) is via shiradi.

so this is the route i need to take shiradi-gundya-subramanya-panja-bellare.

Any feedback on the route condition of these inner roads ? i know the NH condition pretty well if the inner roads are ok i would like to take this road

[_chikku]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

What i thought was that road is towards puttur, are you saying there is a way to reach kukke Subramanya without going to Sulya ?

To be specific, i need to go to Bellare town, that is why i am taking madikeri-sulya route.

I am seriously exploring options of going via shiradi-uppinangadi-puttur route too

I think, you can drive to kukke via shiradi and go to bellare via panja. But no idea about road conditions.

Edit: oops ... i think you got it..

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Digital Vampire

Took 7 hrs for onward journey and 7.5 hrs on the way back including 45 mins breakfast break at Ossur.

Shiradi Ghat is totally gone and those 30 kms are indeed a torture.

Frankly, I would consider eating at Ossur to be a bigger torture than driving on Shiradi. I felt violated the last time I ate there. Now I do everything to avoid being near to Sakleshpur at lunch time.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by _chikku

I think, you can drive to kukke via shiradi and go to bellare via panja. But no idea about road conditions.

Edit: oops ... i think you got it..

Thanks, how stupid of me to not to look at google maps

Yes, road conditions are my main concerns. i dont mind narrow roads, i am used to it. but bad roads is my worry(because subramanya to bellare is about 30 kms)

Other option for me is to drive to uppinangadi-puttur-bellare, this would be about 20 km longer, but i dont mind if that helps me save time!!

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Frankly, I would consider eating at Ossur to be a bigger torture than driving on Shiradi. I felt violated the last time I ate there. Now I do everything to avoid being near to Sakleshpur at lunch time.

I used to eat at kamat everytime, but always liked the ossur from outside. it all changed when i finally decided to have lunch there. very limited options and everything felt half cooked!!

Atleast one plus point was that i was not sleepy post lunch and could reach bangalore pretty fast(because i hardly ate anything for lunch!!)

I am bored with Kamat(meals are too heavy and not much option during lunch!!!)

Considering the length of this thread, where do people eat ? There are nice hotels inside Hassan town, but it will mean we have to slow down.