[Babuda]

[quote=shomshree;3364196]

I'm planning to visit Puri next week. With the help of all members here, I wanted to clear a few queries.

If I'm not wrong, you are suggesting to switch to the opposite lane of the highway. If so, would it be possible to cross the toll plaza without a hitch? I am unsure whether any toll plaza would allow crossing from the wrong lane and direction.

You can cross the toll plaza on the opposite side (wrong side) of the road while going to Puri. The left most lane of the toll plaza (it's a ramshackle affair) will accept payment without any hassles.

You mentioned taking a diversion. Would one have any prior indication or marker to identify the point from where the diversion is to be taken?

When approaching the toll plaza at the border you'll see traffic slowing down to a crawl. Just switch to the opposite lane at the first given opportunity. There is no concrete median between the opposite lanes - just a slightly sunken earthen ditch with frequent crossover points.

I am planning to start from Kolkata around 6 a.m. By my estimate, I should be reaching this point around 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Would it be safe to cross this stretch around this time?

Even at moderate speeds you should be at the border by 11:00 AM. This is an extremely busy national highway with very heavy truck traffic. I have crossed this road at all times of the day and night over the past several years and am yet to encounter any problem whatsoever (touch wood!)

Would you have a clue as to the current state of road / route condition, especially with regard to Jaleshwar crossing and Bhubaneshwar bypass?


Any update on the current status of this bypass.

Please refer to my earlier post.

Is it true that extra money is charged from travelers at the check post?

Not anymore for the past three years.

Can you comment on the stretch between Balasore and Puri?

How long did it take for you to traverse the distance from Kolkata, and how did you find the Jaleshwar crossing?

Did you start from Kolkata in the early hours of the morning?

Refer to my earlier post regarding road conditions. We started at 6:30 AM and were at Puri Club on Raj Bhawan Road at exactly 3:30 PM.

[Arkesh]

Originally Posted by shomshree

I am planning to start from Kolkata around 6 a.m. By my estimate, I should be reaching this point around 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Would it be safe to cross this stretch around this time?

No issues if you cross it at 1 o clock and for that matter till sunset. The road is pretty good with some rough patches due to some expansion work. all the best for your trip, happy motoring.

[shomshree]

Originally Posted by Arkesh

No issues if you cross it at 1 o clock and for that matter till sunset. The road is pretty good with some rough patches due to some expansion work. all the best for your trip, happy motoring.

Originally Posted by Babuda

You can cross the toll plaza on the opposite side (wrong side) of the road while going to Puri. The left most lane of the toll plaza (it's a ramshackle affair) will accept payment without any hassles.

When approaching the toll plaza at the border you'll see traffic slowing down to a crawl. Just switch to the opposite lane at the first given opportunity. There is no concrete median between the opposite lanes - just a slightly sunken earthen ditch with frequent crossover points.

Even at moderate speeds you should be at the border by 11:00 AM. This is an extremely busy national highway with very heavy truck traffic. I have crossed this road at all times of the day and night over the past several years and am yet to encounter any problem whatsoever (touch wood!)

Thanks a lot for the helpful information friends. Will hit the road tomorrow morning ie Sunday morning.

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by julupani

As a person who has lived three fourths of his life in Bhubaneswar and has probably driven close to 2 lakh kms on its roads, and having got to compare driving here to that in quite a few other cities, I can say driving here is much more of a breeze and organised than in most cities. Mostly thanks to the superbly wide roads.

Sorry to dig up this post again. But I plan to visit Gopalpur (near Brahmapur) and Daringbadi in late March or early April. Earlier I was thinking of visiting Bhutan but I guess I am short of required Vitamin-M, hence changing my plan. My plan is to start from Calcutta early and reach Gopalpur the same day at the afternoon. I am planning to stay at the Hotel Sea side Breeze there, for that night and the next. Then I like to proceed to Daringbadi (going via Aska and Surada). After spending two nights at Daringbadi I shall like to return to a small town on NH-5 named Humma, where the road goes to Krishnaprasad, enabling me to reach Satpada via ferry. I plan also to visit Puri for one night or two, as it is customary for me to visit Lord Jagannath, whenever I visit these areas.

Now, is my plan OK? Also, I have come to know that there is a small restaurant behind Nandankanan (in Bhuwaneswar), which is possibly called Jungle view Dhaba, which serves excellent Bamboo-Mutton (Marinated mutton is cooked inside a bamboo). Has anyone in this forum been to this hotel and tasted this dish?
Any information from anyone will be highly appreciated.
Regards,
Rahul,
Calcutta.

[ultimatechamp]

I have been to Puri so many times by car since January 2009,but am afraid road conditions have progressively worsened over last 2 years
Early 2009,roads were better in West Bengal and worse in Odisha,as all the fly-overs were being constructed at Bhadrak and Balasore,and now it the the other way round. West Bengal roads are outright horrible and its better in Odisha.
Firstly, you start having nightmares as soon as you end Kona and go on to NH6. As someone,has correctly pointed out here,there are literally a deluge of diversions,starting right at Alampur crossing and the most horrible one at Dhulagor crossing. We counted , and astonishingly,the total number of diversions from Kolkata to Puri is 73 !!
Some diversions are small and bothersome,as they have terribly high bumps to slow down lorries at entry and exit points,while other diversions stretch for miles together,where you travel on one side of the road,and oncoming heavy truck traffic come towards you with their blaring horns and glaring lights. I have countless videos,but do not really know how to upload videos here,so am posting pictures to show you how horrible it has become over the years to travel to Puri by a car. All the blame squarely goes to NHDP/NHAI - namely National Highways Development Project/ National Highways Authority of India, who has started an ambitious plan of 6 - laning an already nice, 4-laned highway, thus creating a nuisance everywhere almost.
In developed countries,there are road signs and cautions everywhere,where road works are being held. Here you would go into a lane,then realize that it is closed and you have to turn around or cross the muddy,non-existent at places divider,to go on to the other side,and in this way,either wrack your nerves,or grossly damage your dear car. They are constructing fly-overs right in the middle of nowhere. I got down from my car and looked everywhere to find traces of a school/college or a locality or even something which remotely indicates the need of a fly-over,but couldn't find one. In the middle of a National Highway,they have started constructing a fly-over or an underpass,and the only thing which you will see around is miles of greenery and paddy-field !! Talking of wastage of National Resources.

The following three are pictures of construction going on in full swing on NH6 - presumably thinning out of the divider,and widening of the highway. Recent pictures taken in 1st week of Feb 2014

[ultimatechamp]

The diversions on NH60,as in the 1st picture,grossly slow you down, forcing you to make a change in your schedule and are really bothersome. Also they are spots were accidents are so frequent, especially in the night.

In the 2nd picture,a toll plaza is approaching and you notice a diversion sign with broken down bumps on the foreground,which you have to avoid . Just have a look at the place where you have to cross over to the other side. Surface full of loose gravel is highly accident prone,and damaging to your precious tires.

In the 3rd picture,you cross-over the muddy,non-existent divider,to the other side . Is it comfortable or safe for a sedan doing what the yellow truck is doing ?

[ultimatechamp]

This picture is that of a toll plaza right after Kharagpur where you have to cross a huge factory on the right hand side.Pictures taken from the other side,after crossing the toll plaza

Very bad,rough,uneven surface of most culverts on way to Belda- Jaleshwar.


Jaleshwar mayhem . Trucks parked right on both side of the road,although there is a newly constructed,pink-walled,parking place for trucks on either side of the highway.

See the green bus trying to negotiate all the trucks. You have to negotiate these too

Lorry with grossly over-sized load, and you have to bypass these imbeciles

Extreme bad roads , which even the trucks are literally running away to avoid

Now negotiating bad-surfaced narrow culverts ,with overloaded trucks for company,and other vehicles coming from the other side

[ultimatechamp]

Extreme bad roads at Balasore. You have to cross a railway line,which looks abandoned and as usual, probably there is a passing the buck,as nobody repairs the road on either side of the railway line,not the railways,not the NHAI. See for yourselves. This is being repaired at present with steel plates on either side of the tracks


The highway on the left is completely blocked for ongoing constructions,and you keep on moving as the trucks come towards you. Avoid night journeys at all cost.


There are diversions in Chandikhol and Cuttack too,with all those constructions going on. Its really a job to negotiate all those and finally
you reach a place,where there is a sudden diversion on the left hand side. There is a signboard which says it all.The onward journey,if you dont take the left turn takes you through BBSR.


Newly constructed BBSR-Puri bypass. Even the dividers are unfinished This is really good at places,but extremely bad also at other places. This road bypasses Pipli. There are also diversions on this particular road,along with very narrow stretches of the older road,and also overpopulated market places like the one at Raghurajpur Crossing.


One thing you will surely notice,mostly in Odisha is the amount of really idiotic,two wheeler riders coming straight onto you,while throwing a caution to the wind. Be extremely careful of these riders.


Overall the entire journey has become really taxing,time-consuming and a bad venture nowadays. Dhulagor toll plaza charges Rs bloody 80 whereas all the other toll plazas on the entire length have Rs 60 as the highest with few places at Rs 50 and Rs 40 even. Dhulagor is the worst managed straight on this route. Where are the buffoons of the NHAI , whose salary is paid by taxpayers money ??! Its a shame when , once great highways have been reduced to bad , ill maintained roads.

[dj78]

I had made this Kolkata --> Puri journey around Christmas last year and I was asked to post more details around the road conditions. But things were a bit crazy both on the work and personal front and hence I wasn't able to respond in time. But I think the above posts by ultimatechamp are as detailed and useful as it can be and should serve as a reality check for anyone willing to take this route.
And yes its a shame that we still have to pay the full road taxes (I think we totaled it to ~500 bucks one way) when roads are in such dilapidated state.

[shuvc]

Any speed traps in this route?

Any issue with window sunfilm ? Do the cops fine you/take them off?

[ultimatechamp]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Any speed traps in this route?

Any issue with window sunfilm ? Do the cops fine you/take them off?

No issues with sun films at all. You definitely would need it if going to Puri.

[shomshree]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Any speed traps in this route?

Any issue with window sunfilm ? Do the cops fine you/take them off?

No issues with sun-film as well as over speeding. Just be careful on Bhubaneswar bypass. You need to tackle local Bikers from opposite direction.

Happy journey.

[ultimatechamp]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Any speed traps in this route?

Any issue with window sunfilm ? Do the cops fine you/take them off?

Weren't you supposed to put in your inputs here,after you made that trip in June ? We are still waiting dada

[imove]

After reading all the information, I finally tried it last month. My route was Kolkata -> Chandipur -> Konark->Puri -> Panchalingeswar -> Kolkata.

Other than Puri, where I stayed for two nights, I stayed for one night each at Chandipur, Konark, Panchalingeswar. At all these places I stayed at OTDC facilities. I travelled with my wife and two kids on my 4 year old WagonR and must say that we enjoyed it very much.

Day 1: We started from Kolkata around 7:30 AM and somehow missed the diversion NH6 to NH45 to Orissa right before Kharagpur. I went into Kharagpur and then took a left turn, went through some village roads to join back to AH45. Lost some time there and finally reached OTDC Chandipur at 12:30PM. I did not take any break in this strecth. Road Condition between Kolkata and Balasore was a problem due to numerous diversions. I did not face anu issue at Jaleswar and went right through. The road from Balasore to Chandipur was not good at all, thankfully it was not more than 12 km. The room I got at OTDC Chandipur was a third floor AC suite and was not bad.

Day 2: We started at 10:30 AM and it started to rain heavily. However, the highway condition being pretty good I continued without stopping. It was beautiful to drive on the rain lashed AH45 with very little traffic owing to the heavy rain. We reached Cuttack around 1 PM and took a left turn into SH60. Had a good fresh lunch here in a road-side restaurant about a km after taking the turn. Road condition to Gop and onto Konark was superb. The road was narrow but very scenic. Yatrinivas Konark was a beautiful large compund though the rooms were small, but were ok.

Day 3: We started late morning after breakfast and drove through the very scenic road along the beach and then through a reserved forest. Went over nice bridges over beautiful rivers. Right before Puri, we got into Toshali for some coffee. The compound was nice, the kids liked playing Table tennis and having a brunch there. Finally, we reached our Hotel Dreamland a little after 2 PM.

[imove]

Pics along the way from Kolkata to Puri.
1. At chandipur
2. On AH45
3. To Gop
4. Konark OTDC
5. Konark Temple
6. From Konark to Puri
7. From Konark to Puri
8. From Konark to Puri
9. At Puri