Road condition _ Colombo to Kandy

[carboy2011]

I'm planning to drive to kandy and would like to know the road condition and the travel time taken from Colombo to Kandy,has the road works been completed or still ongoing?

also on the return leg thought of doing a bit of a detour and would like to find out the time taken from Kandy --Nawalapitya - Ginigathena - Colombo and the road condition and time needed for it

 

[jayanathkarunarathna]

Colombo- Kandy via A1 no major road constructions on going. Best time to travel is early morning. (around 3 AM from Colombo) No traffic and traffic police. You can reach Kandy between 2-3 hrs

Road via Nawalapitiya-Awissawella There were road constructions between Nawalapitiya and Ginigathhena about 6 months back. Road condition isn't that much good compared to A1. Road is narrow and bit bumpy. Traffic is less compared to A1 but not easy to overtake if you come across any long vehicles. surroundings are beautiful than A1.  

[Crosswind]

4 hours ago, carboy2011 said:

I'm planning to drive to kandy and would like to know the road condition and the travel time taken from Colombo to Kandy,has the road works been completed or still ongoing?

also on the return leg thought of doing a bit of a detour and would like to find out the time taken from Kandy --Nawalapitya - Ginigathena - Colombo and the road condition and time needed for it

 

You picked the right weather to take that hellish road

 

[Rumesh88]

Road construction work is ongoing between Balummahara to Miriswatte stretch. If you avoid peak traffic times it is not an issue. 

[Quiet]

Go via Gampaha- Giriulla, Highway - Ja-Ela - Minuwangoda - Giriulla or Pasyala - Giriulla - Kurunegala - Katugasthota - Kandy. Longer route but wider roads, lesser traffic and easy to overtake. I always go to Kandy on that route

[Kavvz]

8 hours ago, jayanathkarunarathna said:

Colombo- Kandy via A1 no major road constructions on going. Best time to travel is early morning. (around 3 AM from Colombo) No traffic and traffic police. You can reach Kandy between 2-3 hrs

Road via Nawalapitiya-Awissawella There were road constructions between Nawalapitiya and Ginigathhena about 6 months back. Road condition isn't that much good compared to A1. Road is narrow and bit bumpy. Traffic is less compared to A1 but not easy to overtake if you come across any long vehicles. surroundings are beautiful than A1.  

How do I dislike this? 

You recommend leaving at 3am?? And it takes you 2-3 HOURS to reach Kandy at 3am?  You know you can like take public transport at more sane hours of the day and still get to Kandy faster than that>? 

[jayanathkarunarathna]

8 minutes ago, Kavvz said:

How do I dislike this? 

You recommend leaving at 3am?? And it takes you 2-3 HOURS to reach Kandy at 3am?  You know you can like take public transport at more sane hours of the day and still get to Kandy faster than that>? 

Have you rode from Colombo to Kandy less than 2 hours? Note I mean Colombo not Yakkala and Kandy not Kadugannawa or Pilimathalawa

Edited November 8, 2016 by jayanathkarunarathna

[jmzsl]

1 hour ago, Kavvz said:

How do I dislike this? 

You recommend leaving at 3am?? And it takes you 2-3 HOURS to reach Kandy at 3am?  You know you can like take public transport at more sane hours of the day and still get to Kandy faster than that>? 

On mondays I usually leave kandy around 3.15am and arrive Orugodawatta around 5. but in day time it usually takes more than 3 hours and public transport takes more than 4 hours.

[carboy2011]

thanks all so i will leave out the nawalapitya -ginigathena road to come back and use the A1 ,hoping to go over the weekend

[asrock]

I have never started at 3.00 am but last Wednesday I left Colombo at 5.30 am and reached Kandy at 8.15am via the route Quiet mentioned. That route is longer but much easier and less stressful. Traveling on the A1 will take much longer than that. Colombo- Kandy route has been quite stressful recently with all the increasing traffic and road constructions here and there. I have never done a Colombo - Kandy run under 3 hrs.

[Kavvz]

12 hours ago, jayanathkarunarathna said:

Have you rode from Colombo to Kandy less than 2 hours? Note I mean Colombo not Yakkala and Kandy not Kadugannawa or Pilimathalawa

I haven't done it recently (as in the last 6 months) but a 3am run to from the Kelaniya area to Kandy city limits would take me around 2 hours as I seem to think that 2.5 hours is about how long it takes when I leave Colombo at night or vice versa from Kandy after a long dinner etc.

I don't time myself usually, but maybe next time I will. Taking 3 hours at 3am seems too long...but that's just my opinion. I usually allocate three hours for my travel to Kandy from the Kelaniya area and always seem to get to Kandy (Suduhumpala / Kandy Gen. Hospital area) with about half an hour to spare and that's travelling in the evenings at regular sane times not the middle of the night or before the crack of dawn.

As for public transport: The 5.50am intercity train from Kandy station pulls into Fort station at around 9am usually. Its scheduled for 8.45 which is around 3 hours; but even if its late as it usually is, coming in at 9am still puts it at well under 4 hours. 

Edited November 8, 2016 by Kavvz

[Kavvz]

17 hours ago, Quiet said:

Go via Gampaha- Giriulla, Highway - Ja-Ela - Minuwangoda - Giriulla or Pasyala - Giriulla - Kurunegala - Katugasthota - Kandy. Longer route but wider roads, lesser traffic and easy to overtake. I always go to Kandy on that route

 

7 hours ago, asrock said:

I have never started at 3.00 am but last Wednesday I left Colombo at 5.30 am and reached Kandy at 8.15am via the route Quiet mentioned. That route is longer but much easier and less stressful. Traveling on the A1 will take much longer than that. Colombo- Kandy route has been quite stressful recently with all the increasing traffic and road constructions here and there. I have never done a Colombo - Kandy run under 3 hrs.

@jayanathkarunarathna: Okay well there you go. asrock did it at 5.30am and got to Kandy in less than three hours and it wasn't even at 3am. Take this road at 3am  with no bathroom breaks and you're bound to get there in around 2.5 hours or less.

Edited November 8, 2016 by Kavvz

[Kavvz]

Is this going to be the route the new highway is going to take? 

14 hours ago, Quiet said:

Go via Gampaha- Giriulla, Highway - Ja-Ela - Minuwangoda - Giriulla or Pasyala - Giriulla - Kurunegala - Katugasthota - Kandy. Longer route but wider roads, lesser traffic and easy to overtake. I always go to Kandy on that route

Edited November 8, 2016 by Kavvz

[asrock]

7 hours ago, Kavvz said:

 

@jayanathkarunarathna: Okay well there you go. asrock did it at 5.30am and got to Kandy in less than three hours and it wasn't even at 3am. Take this road at 3am  with no bathroom breaks and you're bound to get there in around 2.5 hours or less.

Yeah strictly no bathroom breaks or breakfast etc it was a non stop run. Forgot to mention that 8.15 was to Katugastota (had a wedding there) to Kandy it should have taken another 15 mins and I started from Kirulapone.

[jayanathkarunarathna]

On 11/8/2016 at 0:40 PM, Kavvz said:

How do I dislike this? 

You recommend leaving at 3am?? And it takes you 2-3 HOURS to reach Kandy at 3am?  You know you can like take public transport at more sane hours of the day and still get to Kandy faster than that>? 

Have you rode from Colombo to Kandy less than 2 hours? 

 

On 11/8/2016 at 11:37 PM, Kavvz said:

 

@jayanathkarunarathna: Okay well there you go. asrock did it at 5.30am and got to Kandy in less than three hours and it wasn't even at 3am. Take this road at 3am  with no bathroom breaks and you're bound to get there in around 2.5 hours or less.

Consider my 2-3 hours estimate as best-worse scenario timing for 3am start.  estimate

[carboy2011]

well it took me 3.5 hrs o Sunday on the A1 and took the same route back on poya day and it was the same travel time,due to hols I felt that the traffic was less if not im sure it could have taken more time

the journey was made during the day