Holiday traffic diversion: Ooty-bound vehicles via Coonoor, descending traffic via Kotagiri
Vehicles travelling from Mettupalayam to Ooty should use the Coonoor route; vehicles descending from Ooty to the plains should travel via Kotagiri.
AI-generated contextual illustration; it is not a photograph of the actual traffic diversion. Image: OpenAI / MyNilgiris.
Udhagamandalam | 19 October 2026
A temporary one-way traffic arrangement is operating on the Ooty–Coonoor–Mettupalayam hill corridor after the Ayudha Puja–Vijayadashami holiday rush increased congestion in Ooty, according to three local news reports.
Route to follow
- Mettupalayam → Ooty: vehicles should travel uphill via Coonoor.
- Ooty → Mettupalayam and the plains: descending vehicles should use the Kotagiri route.
- Traffic police at Charring Cross are reported to be directing plains-bound vehicles towards Kotagiri.
- The reports quote police as saying the arrangement will remain in force until the continuous holiday period ends.
Traveller note: Hill-road routing can change with traffic and weather conditions. Follow police barricades, road signs and on-ground instructions during the journey.
Verification note
Dinakaran and Dinamalar independently report the core diversion, while Tamil OneIndia corroborates the same routing. No separate notice was visible in the Nilgiris district administration’s public press-release feed at the time of checking. MyNilgiris has therefore not added any extra restriction or a precise end time beyond what the reports attribute to traffic police.
Image note: AI-generated contextual illustration. It is not an actual-event photograph and does not depict a specific junction or identifiable people. Image: OpenAI / MyNilgiris.
Sources and timestamps
- Dinakaran — published 19 October 2026, 1:08 a.m. IST
- Dinamalar — dated 18 October 2026 (exact clock time was not accessible on the checked page)
- Tamil OneIndia — updated 19 October 2026, 10:56 a.m. IST
