Route Check. Pune – Vadodara

[ranjith.rajaram]

Hi Team,
Need your help again for my travel on 4th Nov to Vadodara.

1) Route that I am planning to take is Pune-Express highway-Panvel-Thane- Ghodbunder – Manor- Surat- Vadodara. (All through NH). Please correct me if there is any other alternatives/best route.
2) Also please let me know the road condition for the same?
3) Any good places for lunch? say around 2-2.30 PM – My start time is 7 AM from Pune, settling for breakfast in express high way
4) I guess from Pune it’s about 560 Kms – so will it take about 8 hrs of drive time, in this case can I reach Vadodara by 5 PM?
5) What’s the price of petrol in Gujarat; if it’s more I can refill the tank in MH border?
6) Any other suggestion welcomed.

[jigbarai]

The route choosen is accurate.

Road conditions will be good overall.
Express way is perfect. There is some construction going on at Ghodbunder, so expect rough patches.
Also, there is some lane work going on in the maharashtra section of NH8 (post Manor), so expect some rough patches. Once in Gujarat, roads get better as well as the traffic gets thinner.

There are a few good restaurants (woodland is a name i reckon) near Vapi / Valsad where you can stop for lunch.

Other alternative is at the junction of Ghodbunder and NH8, there are a few good restaurants as well.

Budget for about 10 hrs drive (4 hrs pune to NH8 and atleast 6 thereafter). You cannot do expressway speeds everywhere.

Petrol prices wouldnt really differ that much. Instead of saving 100 rupees here or there, Rather refill at a good COCO outlet - where you find one. I believe e-way has a few of these which are said to be good.

[Souvik]

Hello Ranjith,

Your planning and route is absolutely fine. Just did that stretch on my Leh trip in Sept.

Pune - Thane - The roads are absolutely wonderful. the joy of driving on expressway.

Once you cross Ghodbunder and take right on NH8 towards, Surat, you will find few petrol bunks on your left hand side. The petrol is quite cheap there.

As Jigbarai mentioned, post Manor, there are a lot of deviations and speeds will drop. Few deviations are managed by traffic cops, so expect jams. By the time you have mentioned, you might be in this section post 10AM.

Around Gujarat border, suggest that you stick yellow sticker on my left and right head lamp to avoid any issues with the cops too.

The roads open up and are much better from Charoti toll plaza.

There are a lot of restaurants on either side of the road.

Souvik

[ranjith.rajaram]

Originally Posted by Souvik

Around Gujarat border, suggest that you stick yellow sticker on my left and right head lamp to avoid any issues with the cops too.

Thanks Souvik, are these yellow stickers a must ? I will be in Vadodara for three days and will be driving locally as well. Please suggest.

Originally Posted by jigbarai

Budget for about 10 hrs drive (4 hrs pune to NH8 and atleast 6 thereafter). You cannot do expressway speeds everywhere.

Thanks for your response Jigbarai. You mean 10 hrs including break or just drive time ?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by ranjith.rajaram

Thanks Souvik, are these yellow stickers a must ? I will be in Vadodara for three days and will be driving locally as well. Please suggest.



Thanks for your response Jigbarai. You mean 10 hrs including break or just drive time ?

No the yellow stickers are not a must,GJ cops are a relaxed lot now a days when it comes to out of state vehicles.

Pune-Ghodbunder would take you around 3-4hours.

Ghodbunder-Vapi:3hours

Vapi-Surat: 3 hours

You could break at Mcdie,Vapi which would come to your left.Restrooms are hardly existing anywhere,depend on nature!Expect a jam at Ankleshwar Narmada Bridge.

[ranjith.rajaram]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

No the yellow stickers are not a must,GJ cops are a relaxed lot now a days when it comes to out of state vehicles.

Cool, good to know that. I was just thinking may be I can stick a yellow insulation tape on top of the head light for three days. Just as a workaround

One more question here is there enough sign board on NH until Vadodara or do i need to check each/every deviations ?

[Souvik]

Ranjith,

This is not a must but preferred. I did put up the yellow insulation tape before I entered Gujarat and removed them as soon as I moved out.

Since I got pulled up in Punjab for the Hellas that I have, I did not want to take further chance. Never know how the traffic cop will react, depends a lot on his mood.

About the signs, it is one straight road (NH8) that takes you there. And yes, there are loads of signs all through out. Rest assured, you will not get lost.

Souvik

[hvkumar]

Good signages throughout.
Go from e-way to Ghodbunder via New Bombay (Belapur, Turbhe, Airoli), DO NOT take the Panvel-Thane road.
Best fuel stop (and cheapest) is e-way before Lonavla, that should give you range till Baroda.
Yellow stickers advised, GJ cops will keep on stopping you when you get into Baroda.
Road widening.flyover construction work from Thane all the way to Surat, expect some slowing down in sections.
Leave Pune by 4 am so that you can comfortably cross Bombay-Thane region before 7 am.

[ranjith.rajaram]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Go from e-way to Ghodbunder via New Bombay (Belapur, Turbhe, Airoli), DO NOT take the Panvel-Thane road

Thanks Kumar sir, i guess this is via Vashi if I am not wrong ?

Originally Posted by Souvik

I did put up the yellow insulation tape before I entered Gujarat and removed them as soon as I moved out.

What an idea Sirji. The same idea stuck me as mentioned earlier.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by ranjith.rajaram

Thanks Kumar sir, i guess this is via Vashi if I am not wrong ?

No need to touch Vashi.
Turn off at Turbhe (left goes to Vashi/Bombay), go via Khopar Khairne, Gansali, Airoli, then turn off towards Mulund (don't take the straight to Thane, messy road), cross the Airoli bridge to EEH, then go all the way on EEH via Thane's outskirts to Ghodbunder Road.

[advaitlele]

Dear All,

I am starting for my Diwali vacation this Friday. for the first time, I would be starting in the afternoon as I have to be home on Saturday morning.

Planning to leave home by 2pm - cant make earlier start as have to pickup kid from school.

Some questions :
1. How is the road condition now, after monsoons and rains (if at all) over last two weeks. Pune it has rained for last two weeks so not sure about the highway condition.
2. Planning to reach Manor for early dinner at around 7pm considering evening Mumbai traffic. Is that feasible? This would be my first experience as all my earlier travels were 4am start and reach Manor for breakfast around 7.30 / 8am
3. What are other good options for late evening break between Vapi / Valsad. Plan is to stop only at these two places and reach Baroda by 12.30 / 1 am.

I am not a fast driver and would have wife and kid onboard with me.
Thanks.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

2. Planning to reach Manor for early dinner at around 7pm considering evening Mumbai traffic. Is that feasible?

Quite possible if you do manage to enter the MPEW by 2pm and if you dont run into jams at Ghodbunder.At 6-7pm,you are unlikely to find any jams,

3. What are other good options for late evening break between Vapi / Valsad. Plan is to stop only at these two places and reach Baroda by 12.30 / 1 am.

At Vapi you have Mcdonalds at the Empress Mall to your left after you exit Vapi Town.

Restaurant Locator

The other option is Sankalp restaurant immediately onto your right after the town flyover.You would need to take a U-Turn onto the service road to go to this place.

Restaurant National Location

[advaitlele]

Thanks Ranjit.

I would be able to reach first toll at exp way around 2.30. So I guess reaching Manor at around 7pm wont be a challenge. Thanks for the update.

How is the road condition on this road I am planning to take?
Exp. way -> go below fly over from Sharayu Hyundai -> DAKC -> Airoli Bridge-> Thane -> Hotel Fountain -> Silver Miles at Manor for early Dinner.

I am worried about road condition betwen this patch, as twilight and bad roads dont make good friends.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

How is the road condition on this road I am planning to take?
Exp. way -> go below fly over from Sharayu Hyundai -> DAKC -> Airoli Bridge-> Thane -> Hotel Fountain -> Silver Miles at Manor for early Dinner.

I am worried about road condition betwen this patch, as twilight and bad roads dont make good friends.

This is always a good road. Expect slow traffic as you cross Thane because of some flyovers under construction.

[Rajesh1968]

Hi,

I did this route on 2nd October,2011, as part of my GQ travel.

There is absolutley no issue till you reach Ghodbunder ( please follow the route directions provided by HVK). Post Ghodbunder it will reduce your speed considereably due to constructions and traffic till you reach Valsad.

Once past that you will gain good speed, but taking the Golden Bridge or going thru Ankleshwar and Bharuch is a dynamic decison, left almost to you.

I was lucky on both counts as it was Gandhi Jayanti, the traffic from Ghodbunder to Vadodara was sparse and also took the Golden Bridge though advised against, but it came off, got over in 15 minutes, heard people getting stuck for hours. Once past Golden Bridge it hardly any distance to Vadodara.