[gops619]

For my upcoming Hyderabad to Vaitheeswaran Temple drive, to avoid Pondy and Cuddalore, I am looking at Vikravandi-Koliyanur-Cuddalore by-pass route. If anyone has any suggestions for the route picked, please let me know.

[CArspeed]

Originally Posted by gops619

For my upcoming Hyderabad to Vaitheeswaran Temple drive, to avoid Pondy and Cuddalore, I am looking at Vikravandi-Koliyanur-Cuddalore by-pass route. If anyone has any suggestions for the route picked, please let me know.

You can happy well take this route and barring some diversions, you will be able to drive upto the outskirts of Sirkazhi.

[Innysta]

While it brings little smile with Thanjavur - Kumbakonam 4 lane is unofficially operating now and officially will open up with Rs. 100 toll fee from 20th Jan, it reduces travel time from 1.5 hrs to 30min. However, one has to wait till 2027 to travel with smile to pass through Vikravandi - Cholapuram stretch of 120km+ odd. [Source: The Hindu]

[RGK]

Saw a message on Insta thread saying the Anaikarai bridge has been opened. Is this true?

[CArspeed]

Originally Posted by RGK

Saw a message on Insta thread saying the Anaikarai bridge has been opened. Is this true?

Very much opened as I travelled in the new bridge just two days back. But once you cross the bridge, the bye pass for Thiruppanandal is not yet ready. Post that the highway is open upto Thanjavur

[Yieldway17]

Originally Posted by CArspeed

Very much opened as I travelled in the new bridge just two days back. But once you cross the bridge, the bye pass for Thiruppanandal is not yet ready. Post that the highway is open upto Thanjavur

I read somewhere that Tirupananthal Bypass alignment has design flaw on the Anaikarai side on the expected design of through vehicles to use the bypass and the vehicles going inside the town using the service road. Maybe they are trying to fix that.

[venki.bala]

Originally Posted by RGK

Saw a message on Insta thread saying the Anaikarai bridge has been opened. Is this true?

As per the youtube video, the bridge is opened but we need to be very careful as works are not completed.

https://youtu.be/lTbObbdfu3w?si=25P3OOi2DjNScipV

[careind]

Has there been any recent developments on the Vikravandi/Panruti stretch?
One of my friends had travelled to Vadavambalam and then from there to Cuddalore via nellikuppam (MDR1015) and says the roads are good, which got me a bit confused as Vikravandi/Panruti stretch was nothing to write home about.

[arsudarsan]

I drove back from Kattumannarkoil on 16th Feb through Panruti Vikravandi. There has been almost no progress between Vikravandi and Sethiyathope.

[careind]

Originally Posted by gops619

For my upcoming Hyderabad to Vaitheeswaran Temple drive, to avoid Pondy and Cuddalore, I am looking at Vikravandi-Koliyanur-Cuddalore by-pass route. If anyone has any suggestions for the route picked, please let me know.

Did you maange to take the Vikravandi/Koliyanur/Thirubhuvanai/Cuddalore Bypass route?

I would very much like to get your impressions on taking that route

[gops619]

Originally Posted by careind

Did you maange to take the Vikravandi/Koliyanur/Thirubhuvanai/Cuddalore Bypass route?

I would very much like to get your impressions on taking that route

Sorry, didnt take that route. Spur of the moment, I actually took the Puducherry-Cuddalore route, wanting to relive memories of Puducherry and it being a Sunday afternoon anticipating less traffic, traffic turned out to be moderate though. I could imagine it's mess in regular days.

If it helps in any way, noticed the Cuddalore bypass to have considerable traffic volume both sides as I joined highway at Karaikadu. Post that, new highway is one of the best I have driven on. No doubt next time it would be the route I queried anticipating it to be as good.

[careind]

I took the Vikravandi/Thirubhuvanai/vaitheeswaran koil bypass/mayiladuthurai route yesterday for both onward and return.

The 10 kilometers or so that we travelled to koliyanur kootroad remains the same with giant potholes and badly tarred culverts which creates a “step” on the road.
But it is manageable if you keep an eye out in the road.

Once we took the left from kootroad the roads lead through narrow and crowded channels. After a couple of kilometers or so of the 2 lane SH roads, I even thought about returning back and proceeding towards the nellikuppam road. But better sense prevailed.
There were no problems with the roads. They were good all along, apart from the crowd and busy 2 lane road.

5 kms from the kootroad, I thought I got deliverance as we spotted the 4 lane road flyover merging with the 2 lane road.
Then for the next 50 or so kilometers it was closed flyovers , probably waiting to be inaugurated by minister, and take diversions. For most of the diversions, you just go to the other side service road and share with oncoming traffic.

The tarmac was concrete and chewed the tyres. There was a fair amount of road noise and my AT with no engine braking felt like it had EB when we took the foot off the pedal.

After the first 50 km, it was smooth sailing on the concrete tarmac till the Viatheeswaran koil Byepass. Saw 2 dog hits over the journey even with rails separating the service roads. That is something to take note of.

There are cameras, but they are not functioning as of now, or else I would have gotten fat challans by now. But their presence felt like it would be put to use sooner rather than later.

All in all, a pretty good alternative to have.
On hindsight I should have taken Tindivanam/ Pondicherry route and then linked up to this bypass instead of proceeding on the ECR, thereby skipping the horrible Pondy Cuddalore stretch. Google maps does show this route
I did notice that There were exits and ingress ramps to/from Pondy and all other major towns in the route.

Attachment 2731842

[ampere]

Originally Posted by careind

All in all, a pretty good alternative to have.
On hindsight I should have taken Tindivanam/ Pondicherry route and then linked up to this bypass instead of proceeding on the ECR, thereby skipping the horrible Pondy Cuddalore stretch. Google maps does show this route
I did notice that There were exits and ingress ramps to/from Pondy and all other major towns in the route.

The other option is to take the Villupuram bypass. This would help avoid entering Pondicherry itself. And we dont lose much time. The good 4-lanes takes care of it.

Route Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kwyGf82Didy3tRLfA

[Gansan]

Need to make a trip to Seerkazhi and back sometime next week. I will drive via Tindivanam-Pondy-Cuddalore. Can someone kindly update about road conditions between Pondy and Seerkazhi?

[Yieldway17]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Need to make a trip to Seerkazhi and back sometime next week. I will drive via Tindivanam-Pondy-Cuddalore. Can someone kindly update about road conditions between Pondy and Seerkazhi?

I don't know the latest status about Cuddalore bypass and if it's fully open.

But otherwise Cuddalore outer to Sirkazhi is a breeze. The new highway is a concrete one and advisable to maintain 80-90kmph.

If you want to not bother with Pondy city traffic, better option is to go a bit longer to Villupuram instead of Tindivanam and join the Nagapattinam highway there.