[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by adithya016

I'll be driving from Kumta to Bangalore on Sunday and planning to take the Sirsi -> Haveri -> Tumkur route

Kumta-Sirsi road was closed till last week when I drove from Bangalore to Kumta. Please check once with the locals before proceeding. I diverted at Ranebennur and proceeded to Kumta via Soraba - Siddapur - Kolageri. Few rough patches here and there but overall a pleasant drive.

Originally Posted by BomBatt

I drove from Kumta to Bangalore 3 days back. I took Kumta - Honnavar - Sagar - Shivamogga - Channagiri - Chitradurga - Bangalore

I did the same route last Sunday on my way back from Kumta. Excellent roads for the most part. Try and avoid Shimoga - Tumkur stretch. Instead, get onto NH-48 at Chitradurga - must faster.

[amavin]

I did Sirsi-Bangalore last Saturday (28 Dec). Since I wanted to visit Banavasi, did that detour -- fine roads -- and the choice was between the Soraba-Harihara-BLR route vs. Akki Alur-Haveri-BLR (longer divided NH stretch). Based on recommendations from taxi drivers who'd come from around there, I took the later option.
Road from Banavasi till Dasanakoppa (where you get on to NH766E) was manageable. The NH from there for about 15kms is a joke. Was able to navigate it in my sedan, albeit at very reduced speeds without bottoming out. Road widens post that point and is a breeze after.

[adithya016]

Originally Posted by Guna

Find out if Kumta- Sirsi road is functional. It was closed some time back.

Originally Posted by BomBatt

I drove from Kumta to Bangalore 3 days back. I took Kumta - Honnavar - Sagar - Shivamogga - Channagiri - Chitradurga - Bangalore. Started at 10 am from kumta. Reached Shivamogga at 1:30 pm (had lunch) and reached Bangalore (kanakapura Road) around 8 pm.

Roads throughout excellent to good. The ghat section road is wide and in excellent condition. It was a stressfree drive.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Kumta-Sirsi road was closed till last week when I drove from Bangalore to Kumta. Please check once with the locals before proceeding. I diverted at Ranebennur and proceeded to Kumta via Soraba - Siddapur - Kolageri. Few rough patches here and there but overall a pleasant drive.

Thanks for all the suggestions and sorry for the delayed post.
I drove back from Kumta to Bangalore on 31st Dec, took the Kumta -> Sirsi -> Haveri -> Bangalore route. I had to avoid the Gerusoppa Shimoga route as my wife and kid are uncomfortable on those curvy roads from Honnavar to Sagar.

Checked with the locals and found that Devimane ghat is now open for two wheelers and light motor vehicles. The ghat road is under construction, but manageable. However, one needs to be careful of the steel rods that are protruding out from the concrete. They can easily tear away the tyres. Traffic was minimal on the ghat.

The road from Sirsi to Akki Alur was quite bad and reduced speeds quite a bit. The road from Akki Alur to Haveri is good and the stretch after Haveri on NH48 is a breeze. Took a total of 9.5 hours including 2 short pit stops for lunch and tea. Started from Kumta at 10am and reached home in HSR Layout around 7:30pm.