India's Worst Road

GSMINC · 16th January 2009, 16:39

Guys,
After driving (3 cars over several years) around 2 lakh kms all around South India (with a few trips up north thrown in), and
After reading the travelouge of GQ drive of HVKumar & gang,
I was just wondering which road might have the dubious distinction of being the worst road in India.

I want all you guys to nominate your choice for the title: India's Worst Road.

We all have bad/horrible/hopeless streches of roads in our cities/towns.
Hence, let us stick to just National Highways/State Highways/Roads of Tourist or Economic Importance.

So guys shoot of your choices,.
I shall name my choice soon.

Mods: Hope I have started this thread in the right section, as Cars & Roads go hand in hand, this thread seems relevant in any section

ImmortalZ · 16th January 2009, 16:43

Oh wow. I'm spoilt for choices. The MC Road stretch after Chadayamangalam comes to mind. On a recent trip I saw a Lancer's front suspension blowing up in front of my very eyes.

amtak · 16th January 2009, 16:47

I would say all "city roads". Highways are a bliss!

sushrutha · 16th January 2009, 16:58

shiradi ghats ( Between Sakleshpura - Gundya)
No matter how many times they repair the road , it just gets tharshed with in 2 weeks of time.
By the way this is one of the most scenic road too

HappyWheels · 16th January 2009, 17:04

Do not forget the ghat section between Virajpet (Karnataka) and Kannur! There is absolutely no road, just good old mountain rocks!

esteem_lover · 16th January 2009, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Do not forget the ghat section between Virajpet (Karnataka) and Kannur! There is absolutely no road, just good old mountain rocks!

Is this the place where the nepalese/burmese stay ?
I think I have been there in my M-1000 a long time back. I was expecting my front wheels to come off the car anytime. But the car survived.

GSMINC · 16th January 2009, 17:19

My choice is the State Highway road between Virajpet(Coorg) to Kerala border towards Kannur.
the road is ok on the kerala side.
To travel from kerala border point to Virajpet, a distance of 16kms, I took 4hours.
Now that I think about it, walking would have taken me faster

HappyWheels · 16th January 2009, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Is this the place where the nepalese/burmese stay ? ...

Am not sure about this info, EL. But I guess there is only one such place in India!

Even I had a horrible time - my Alto was jumping all around. Compound with fact that it was raining! The best thing was that my tire, which unfortunately had a weak tube, got puntured just before I hit this section! Cannot not imagine what would have happened otherwise! There was absolutely no way that you can even jack up since the surface was just plain rock which have more or less a smooth surface due to continuous water flow! Took 2 hrs for a 20km distance!!! Getting to even second gear was impossible. 1st gear all the way.

And in midst of all this, there as a KL trucker with a tusker on its back! Sight to be seen!

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSMINC

My choice is the State Highway road between Virajpet(Coorg) to Kerala border towards Kannur.
the road is ok on the kerala side.
To travel from kerala border point to Virajpet, a distance of 16kms, I took 4hours.
Now that I think about it, walking would have taken me faster

Seems like we are talking about the same 'road to hell'. So that's two vote to this stretch.

zenx · 16th January 2009, 17:23

I can say with one-hundred-percent confidence that the stretch between Kaza and Gramphu - thats the PWD "maintained" connection between NH21 and NH22 - is absolutely the worst maintained civilian road in the country. Well, its a tough place, but the BRO seems to be doing a wayyy better job in comparison with the PWD.

narayan · 16th January 2009, 17:24

Arent the condition of roads changing ? I mean bad raods today might be better tomorow and vice versa. So it might be a a bit misleading ..

anyway my 2 cents - around 5km stretch from Poonamalle highroad ( Lanson toyota ) towards Sriperumbudur was quite bad a year back

Fountainheader · 16th January 2009, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenx

I can say with one-hundred-percent confidence that the stretch between Kaza and Gramphu - thats the PWD "maintained" connection between NH21 and NH22 - is absolutely the worst maintained civilian road in the country. Well, its a tough place, but the BRO seems to be doing a wayyy better job in comparison with the PWD.

How about the stretch from Hoshiarpur to Una ? There is no road there. Just stones for kms and kms at stretch.

jaysmokesleaves · 16th January 2009, 17:29

I dont think there is anything as WORST ROAD in India.
Here a good road becomes bad and then worse and then worst. And while we think its the worst another road comes up to claim that dubious title.
The GQ is only a very small part of all the roads in our country.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenx

I can say with one-hundred-percent confidence that the stretch between Kaza and Gramphu - thats the PWD "maintained" connection between NH21 and NH22 - is absolutely the worst maintained civilian road in the country. Well, its a tough place, but the BRO seems to be doing a wayyy better job in comparison with the PWD.

You are cent percent right. This road deserves special mention in the WORLDS WORST ROADS. I wonder if it is a road. Vehicles just travel through a river bed. As punishment to those govt officials who are responsible for bad roads, all these guys should be rounded up put in a suspensionless vehicle and driven through that stretch. Im sure that will break them up if not wake them up.

tazmaan · 16th January 2009, 17:49

The worst roads I have driven has to be the Mumbai to Vapi Highway during the last monsoon (only maharashtra part, Gujarat part was makhan). I Can recall I was driving my esteem which was grounded at least 30 odd times. I ended with a broken muffler and damaged rear wheel bearing. I also lost both my front mud flaps.

I remember seeing trucks with broken axels all along the road it seemed like a war zone. The roads were so bad that the toll booth had to shut shop for a month or so as everyone refused to pay toll because of the bad roads. This entire episode was in the news as well.

The road typically is a nice road with two lane highway and one can do 100 plus speeds on it. I guess there was some enquiry as well on the contractor but hey we live in India so by the time he gets punished (i.e. if) for his shabby work I might barely be able to read.

hvkumar · 16th January 2009, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenx

I can say with one-hundred-percent confidence that the stretch between Kaza and Gramphu - thats the PWD "maintained" connection between NH21 and NH22 - is absolutely the worst maintained civilian road in the country. Well, its a tough place, but the BRO seems to be doing a wayyy better job in comparison with the PWD.

Considering the terrain, the fact that after the snow thaws every year the road have to be realigned, and the treacherous weather conditions, I think that is a dashed good road. Especially from Losar to Kaza, which is freshly tarred and in good condition in late summer. It is a wonder that the Kaza-Gramphoo road exists at all, hats off to the BRO which maintains it with so much of hardhsip.

hvkumar · 16th January 2009, 17:58

NH 53 between Imphal and Silchar - 270 kms - via Nungba and Jiribam is maybe one of the worst long highway stretches, no road. I took 5 hours to cover 100 kms of this famous gun-running road, so you can judge the condition of this so-called "road" which was more rubble and mud.

Not to forget the road from Ramanthapuram to Tuticorin via Sikkal and Kizhakarai, in TN, which was full of pot holes, the entire 100 kms I drove on it.

16th January 2009, 16:39	#1
GSMINC BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 395 Thanked: 197 Times	India's Worst Road Guys, After driving (3 cars over several years) around 2 lakh kms all around South India (with a few trips up north thrown in), and After reading the travelouge of GQ drive of HVKumar & gang, I was just wondering which road might have the dubious distinction of being the worst road in India. I want all you guys to nominate your choice for the title: India's Worst Road. We all have bad/horrible/hopeless streches of roads in our cities/towns. Hence, let us stick to just National Highways/State Highways/Roads of Tourist or Economic Importance. So guys shoot of your choices,. I shall name my choice soon. Mods: Hope I have started this thread in the right section, as Cars & Roads go hand in hand, this thread seems relevant in any section
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 16:43	#2
ImmortalZ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,180 Thanked: 489 Times View My Garage	Oh wow. I'm spoilt for choices. The MC Road stretch after Chadayamangalam comes to mind. On a recent trip I saw a Lancer's front suspension blowing up in front of my very eyes.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 16:47	#3
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,916 Thanked: 902 Times View My Garage	I would say all "city roads". Highways are a bliss!
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 16:58	#4
sushrutha Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chikmagalur/Ban Posts: 1,703 Thanked: 333 Times View My Garage	shiradi ghats ( Between Sakleshpura - Gundya) No matter how many times they repair the road , it just gets tharshed with in 2 weeks of time. By the way this is one of the most scenic road too
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 17:04	#5
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,111 Thanked: 540 Times	Do not forget the ghat section between Virajpet (Karnataka) and Kannur! There is absolutely no road, just good old mountain rocks!
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 17:19	#7
GSMINC BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 395 Thanked: 197 Times	My choice is the State Highway road between Virajpet(Coorg) to Kerala border towards Kannur. the road is ok on the kerala side. To travel from kerala border point to Virajpet, a distance of 16kms, I took 4hours. Now that I think about it, walking would have taken me faster Last edited by GSMINC : 16th January 2009 at 17:21.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 17:23	#9
zenx Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,161 Thanked: 158 Times View My Garage	I can say with one-hundred-percent confidence that the stretch between Kaza and Gramphu - thats the PWD "maintained" connection between NH21 and NH22 - is absolutely the worst maintained civilian road in the country. Well, its a tough place, but the BRO seems to be doing a wayyy better job in comparison with the PWD.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 17:24	#10
narayan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Singapore Posts: 3,114 Thanked: 2,372 Times View My Garage	Arent the condition of roads changing ? I mean bad raods today might be better tomorow and vice versa. So it might be a a bit misleading .. anyway my 2 cents - around 5km stretch from Poonamalle highroad ( Lanson toyota ) towards Sriperumbudur was quite bad a year back
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 17:49	#13
tazmaan BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 927 Thanked: 3,238 Times View My Garage	The worst roads I have driven has to be the Mumbai to Vapi Highway during the last monsoon (only maharashtra part, Gujarat part was makhan). I Can recall I was driving my esteem which was grounded at least 30 odd times. I ended with a broken muffler and damaged rear wheel bearing. I also lost both my front mud flaps. I remember seeing trucks with broken axels all along the road it seemed like a war zone. The roads were so bad that the toll booth had to shut shop for a month or so as everyone refused to pay toll because of the bad roads. This entire episode was in the news as well. The road typically is a nice road with two lane highway and one can do 100 plus speeds on it. I guess there was some enquiry as well on the contractor but hey we live in India so by the time he gets punished (i.e. if) for his shabby work I might barely be able to read.
	() Thanks

16th January 2009, 17:58	#15
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	NH 53 between Imphal and Silchar - 270 kms - via Nungba and Jiribam is maybe one of the worst long highway stretches, no road. I took 5 hours to cover 100 kms of this famous gun-running road, so you can judge the condition of this so-called "road" which was more rubble and mud. Not to forget the road from Ramanthapuram to Tuticorin via Sikkal and Kizhakarai, in TN, which was full of pot holes, the entire 100 kms I drove on it.
	() Thanks