[prashkul]

Planning to do a week-end trip of Kukke and Dharmasthala today and tomorrow. Last minute decision!

Which is the best route to do these two places currently? Is Blore-Hassan-Belur-Mudigere-Dharmasthala a good option? How are the road conditions on this route? May be return via Dharmasthala-Kukke-Blore?

Inputs on stay options are also needed. Please help!

Thanks, Prashanth

[ampere]

Originally Posted by prashkul

Planning to do a week-end trip of Kukke and Dharmasthala today and tomorrow. Last minute decision!

Which is the best route to do these two places currently? Is Blore-Hassan-Belur-Mudigere-Dharmasthala a good option? How are the road conditions on this route? May be return via Dharmasthala-Kukke-Blore?

Inputs on stay options are also needed. Please help!

Thanks, Prashanth

If you are heading to Kukke first then, Hassan-Shiradi-Gundya-Kukke. Good roads all the way. Esp Gudya-Kukke is brilliant.

Kukke-Dharmasthala : Kukke Gundya-Nelyadi-Dharmasthala.

You can return via the same route. Its good.

Kukke has a new hotel, which I just saw at the Bisle side of the entrance (I think it was comfort Inn). You can take a look.

[speedsatya]

Just now heard on FM radio that Shiradi will be closed in the nights( 6 pm to 6 am ) for the next 2 months !!! It seems this is being done for repair work and to prevent accidents .

if true, this is ridiculous . I can understand stopping tanker traffic in the nights during the monsoon , but " all " traffic ?

Does anyone have any clue on this ? Hope this is a wrong info

[_chikku]

Speedsatya, don't know much about the dates. But it's been told that 2 months closure is for the concrete work. Contract has been most probably awarded to one of the construction company in Mangalore

[Samurai]

So they are going to do road work in the middle of monsoon? How ridiculous is that? How is the cement going to set if it rains all the time?

[chandan]

Check this link. Just when the monsoon is about to take off.

Shiradi Ghat road work to begin soon: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ork-begin.html

[Samurai]

I just don't get the logic behind putting concrete on ghat roads. Concrete surface is lot slippery than tarmac. Concrete surface can get even more slippery with water, unlike tarmac.

Now we will have vehicles flying off the curves...

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by _chikku

Speedsatya, don't know much about the dates. But it's been told that 2 months closure is for the concrete work. Contract has been most probably awarded to one of the construction company in Mangalore

Concrete ?? on a ghat ? We will have more jams due to skidding buses and trucks !!

About dates , the info on FM was that its being done very soon

Originally Posted by chandan

Check this link. Just when the monsoon is about to take off.

Shiradi Ghat road work to begin soon: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ork-begin.html

Why would anyone start repair work on a stretch of road where rainfall is one of the highest in the state ?

Originally Posted by Samurai

I just don't get the logic behind putting concrete on ghat roads. Concrete surface is lot slippery than tarmac. Concrete surface can get even more slippery with water, unlike tarmac.

Now we will have vehicles flying off the curves...

Exactly ! With fast curves , poorly maintained HCVs and mad drivers ...this is a receipe for disaster. Which means more jams on the ghats due to crashes .


And what route are they expecting us to take when this work is done ? The narrow Charmadi ghat or the newly laid Sampaje ?

[venkyhere]

Need route help :

(A) Bangalore -> (B) Udupi (stay and pick up more people)
(B) Udupi -> (C) kollur mookambika -> (B) udupi (stay)
(B) udupi -> (D) Dharmasthala -> (E) mangalore railway station (drop people)
(E) mangalore -> (A) bangalore

coming up around the 18th July weekend. The order cannot be changed.
My only criteria for choice is road surface. Even 10-20% extra distance between points is ok.

(A) Bangalore -> (B) Udupi
latest updated on shiradi ? or should I take charmadi ? If I take charmadi route, after ujire-belthangady, either moodibidri->karnad->NH17->udupi or bajegoli->karkala->udupi, which would you advise ?

(B) Udupi -> (C) kollur mookambika -> (B) udupi
absolutely no idea, I dont trust google maps, please advise

(B) udupi -> (D) Dharmasthala
will follow the same route taken as part of A->B and deviate towards dharmasthala

(D) Dharmasthala -> (E) mangalore railway station
I guess, this will not involve shiradi ghats and I can join the main NH and take right towards mangalore

(E) mangalore -> (A) bangalore
same question as A->B

except for the last return leg, all other travel will be daytime ONLY
Thanks in advance.

[ilbkrishna]

The road closure was supposed to happen beginning of June.. A month later now..
Apparently one of the conditions put forward by the contractor for agreeing to work. They flatly have refused to work on worn out roads.

My guess on them working during the monsoon would be that they might resort to using precast solutions for this. If its possible. Moreover the monsoon is and will be weak, they say!

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by ilbkrishna

My guess on them working during the monsoon would be that they might resort to using precast solutions for this. If its possible. Moreover the monsoon is and will be weak, they say!

Even if the monsoon is 'weak', the rains in this region will still be a lot more heavier than elsewhere. I guess they are already building up an excuse for the shoddy work which is yet to be done.

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Why would anyone start repair work on a stretch of road where rainfall is one of the highest in the state ?

And what route are they expecting us to take when this work is done ? The narrow Charmadi ghat or the newly laid Sampaje ?

Exactly. Who in their right mind would want to start work during the monsoon in Shiradi ghat? Forget the govt, the contractor building the road has to be or will be aware of this simple fact. There is something fishy going on I guess.

You have forgotten the Bisle ghat road which was newly laid some 30 years ago. As per the newspaper link Chandan had posted, they are looking at developing the Shishila-Mudigere road. AFAIK, that road has been completed only a couple of kms after Shishila and now they want to develop it as an alternate to Shiradi ghat?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

(A) Bangalore -> (B) Udupi
latest updated on shiradi ? or should I take charmadi ? If I take charmadi route, after ujire-belthangady, either moodibidri->karnad->NH17->udupi or bajegoli->karkala->udupi, which would you advise ?

If Shiradi: Then Shiradi-Uppinangadi-Belthangady-Bajagoli-Karkala-Udupi
If Charmadi: Then Hassan-Belur-Mudigere-Kottigehara-Charmadi-Ujire-Belthangady-Bajagoli-Karkala-Udupi.

(B) Udupi -> (C) kollur mookambika -> (B) udupi
absolutely no idea, I dont trust google maps, please advise

Best option: Udupi-Kundapur-Ampar-Vandse-Kollur.
Now where to exit on NH17? At Kundapur, you will see an exit for Agumbe. Drive till Ampar and take left for Vandse. This option is much better than going ahead on NH17 and deviating at Hemmadi.

(B) udupi -> (D) Dharmasthala
will follow the same route taken as part of A->B and deviate towards dharmasthala

Yes. Udupi-Karakala-Bajagoli-Belthangady-Ujire-Dharmasthala

(D) Dharmasthala -> (E) mangalore railway station
I guess, this will not involve shiradi ghats and I can join the main NH and take right towards mangalore

Dharmasthala-Ujire-Belthangady-Bantwal-Mangaloer

(E) mangalore -> (A) bangalore
same question as A->B
except for the last return leg, all other travel will be daytime ONLY
Thanks in advance.

Shiradi for night drives. Wont advise Charmadi.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

coming up around the 18th July weekend. The order cannot be changed.
(A) Bangalore -> (B) Udupi
latest updated on shiradi ? or should I take charmadi ? If I take charmadi route, after ujire-belthangady, either moodibidri->karnad->NH17->udupi or bajegoli->karkala->udupi, which would you advise ?

Will be heading from Bangalore for Karkala and Udupi and I will take the Kalasa-Kuduremukha-Bajagoli stretch for my onward and Guruvayanakere-Belthangady-Ujire-Charmadi approach for my return with Kottigehara-Mudigere-Belur-Hassan-CR Patna-Bangalore being common for both the legs.

I will share my updates here once I am back on next Monday night.

[nkrishnap]

I drove down to Udupi last Tuesday and here are the updates on the routes front.

Bangalore to Udupi

Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Mudigere -Kottigehara - Charmadi - Belthangadi - Guruvayankere -Bajagoli - Karkala - Nitte - Katapadi - Udupi

Bangalore to Hassan - Excellent Roads

Hassan to Belur - Excellent Roads, except for irritating humps at almost villages

Belur to Mudigere - Excellent roads except for 3-4 kms crossing Belur

Mudigere to Kottigehara - Freshly tarred. Beautiful roads.

Kottigehara to Guruvanyankere - Excellent roads

Guruvayankere to Karkala - Decent roads with a few kms of excellent stretch and few kms of potholed roads. The rest tarred roads but bumpy

Karkala to Katapadi via Nitte - A few kms bypassing Karkala roads are broken, the rest of the roads is decent but a little bumpy

Katapadi to Udupi - Good roads but with deviations due to 4 laning

Udupi to Bangalore

Udupi - Mangalore - BC Road - Uppinangady - Gundya Post - Sakaleshpur - Hassan - Bangalore

Udupi to Mangalore - Good roads but with too many deviations due to 4 laning

Mangalore to Uppinangady - Good roads

Uppinangady to Gundya Post - Good Roads but pot holes have started appearing at the curves. Watch out for deep ones.

Gundya Post to Sakaleshpur - Decent roads in the ghats, watchout for the road conditions near the bridges and pot holes have started appearing on the non concrete stretches.

Sakaleshpur - Hassan - Bangalore - Excellent roads

The Shiradi ghat road and the interior state highway roads will most probably deteriorate when the monsoon intensifies.

[speedsatya]

I was planning a same day return trip on Saturday. I will still drive till Sakleshpur and then decide on my route. If the ghat is indeed blocked , then I will take the right to Mudigere just before the ghat. Will update road conditions over the weekend


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