Current road condition on NH4 near davangere ?? Mumbai to Bangalore

[ume11]

Hiya,
Wondering if the current road condition between Ranibennur and chitradurga on the NH4 has improved ?? .. am planning on a road trip from mumbai to bangalore next week ...the roads were terrible during october 2007 despite driving the ML350, this time i hope to drive my BMW320D which has an Mkit ( so worrying abt the front aprons and side skirts ) .. the rest of the stretch doesnt worry me much .. so my friends, does anybody know the recent conditions there ? else can someone suggest an alternate route to circumvent the bad stretch and meet the NH4 to Bangalore. Also, which is the best window period to enter bangalore thru tumkur, i understand the traffic is a killer .. appreciate your assistance ..

[ravibhat]

Roads are better now compared to last year, patch work is done in most of the places.

I travelled in last week of March and travelling in couple fo days.

Regards,

Ravi.

[pamymenon]

The Ranibennur and chitradurga stretch has pathces that surprise you if you are doing fair speed. Especially near Chitradurga you really need to slow down. So you got to be watchful. Also you got to watch the vehicles travelling on your side of the road & the vehicles that quiet easily trudge into your lane from any side suddenly.
If you are planning to avoid Bangalore & go past Bangalore to Hosur then after Tumkur near Neelamangala you could ask & get on the outer ring road - guess its before peenya industrial ... could not locate that when I traveled in mid-Feb '08.

[prince_pervez]

Anybody done NH4 recently ? The dreaded strech ? Is it ok or undone by the recent rains. I plan to do Bangalore-Pune next month.

[hvkumar]

NH4 bad as ever in Ranebennur area and Chitradurga bypass (update 2 days ago). But not something to lose sleep, aprons and skirts abou - just be careful in those streches, and avoid at night. No alternative routes worth considering. Relax, after all, in the 1,050 kms Mumbai-Bangalore NH4 drive, it is only 15-20 kms of below-average roads.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Relax, after all, in the 1,050 kms Mumbai-Bangalore NH4 drive, it is only 15-20 kms of below-average roads.

Hey Hvkumar, Thanks for the prompt reply.
I did this strech in April this year. It was under construction then.
Much better than what it was in Nov 07.
I believe, NH4 ends from Chitradurga to Ranibennur, and after a few
villiage roads you get that 'welcome to NH4' board on the road.
Then the fun begins again. That bad strech is a good 194 - 200 kms.
Also the toll costs around 650 - 700 bucks upto Pune.

[hvkumar]

No. NH4 is continuous, except that around Ranebennur, 4-laning is not yet complete. No need to go off anywhere. Ranebennur bypass is incomplette, so ou have to go through town. The bad roads on this section are less than 15 kms. Problem could be there are 3 level crossings where you may get held up. Lots of humps and deviations. Toll is Rs 421.

[prince_pervez]

Thanks again Hvkumar. I'm planning to make this trip in a stock zen (04 Model). Safe ? Do-able ? or am I plain nuts?!

[hvkumar]

First class, no problems. Been up and down on Nh4 in my bike and Matiz. Faster the car, the better! Carry tubeless kit if you are riding tubeless.

[prince_pervez]

Excellent! I'll keep you updated! Thanks bro! Now to convince parents (sigh)

Thanks bro!

[VJ_MAVRICK]

I did this stretch around July 22nd and as hvkumar mentioned the stretches near Ranibennur,Chitradurga and Haveri are still bad in patches. Avoid traveling @ Night and the best time to leave Bangalore is in the early hours @ 4.00AM,so that you will hit those bad stretches around 9.00AM. Drive safe and have fun and once you hit Hubli and beyond you will love those roads in particular from Belgaum.