[noopster]

A friend of mine is planning to drive over from Mumbai next weekend. He says he is sick of the e-way and wants to come by the old NH4 so that he can take breaks, enjoy the scenery etc. I know the road is fine from Lonavala to Pune but not so sure of the Panvel- Lonavala stretch. Can anyone confirm that the road is good?

Mods- did a search for this topic but other than a thread on dhabas on this route, didn't really find one. Please merge if duplicated.

[yogeshnagpal]

Hi. I did the NH 4 some 2 months back. The only disadvantage being, it passes through the insides of Panvel. Lot of flyover work is in progress. So chances are that he might get delayed.

[issigonis]

>>>

hvk, BolBolero & khoj will give you precise information on the road surface, traffic conditions and so on. BolBolero & khoj travelled back from the recent t-bhp meet in Sunny da Dhaba, on the NH4.

Regards, drive safe

[GTO]

Your friend seems to be a car guy; even I find the expressway terribly boring. Back to the question, the ol' Mumbai-Pune road is in excellent shape. Used it twice in the last 6 months, the most recent trip being a month back with the Ninja 650. Fun road to drive on and proper dividers for the most part. However, progress will be slower than the expressway as the number of village junctions, two wheelers and slow-moving vehicles is high.

Once he reaches the Panvel junction (where that famous datta misal is sold), ask him to proceed straight and bypass panvel. After crossing the 1st toll booth, and before the second, there will be a kaccha road toward the RHS which most trucks will be using. Take that, straight all the way and you hit Palm beach. Best to ask at the 1st toll for the way to Palm beach as it's a little confusing.

[noopster]

Thanks guys for the help. I am still a little unsure of the exact route- had totally forgotten about the Panvel mess- so bear with me a little more!

GTO- I lost you after bypassing Panvel- why head towards Palm Beach- won't that take him back to Mumbai? Or are you talking about the return journey?

[GTO]

^ My bad, I should have clarified that's the way he should come back.

[noopster]

OK, gotcha. So he takes Palm Beach Road upto Belapur phataa, then turns right onto Uran Road, goes straight down that till it hits JNPT road (Panvel bypass) turn left there and keep going (NH4B) till it merges with the old NH4. Right?

And he's not really a car person, though I have worked a lot on him over the years- enough that he likes his car now and prefers scenic, relaxed driving rather than e-way ripping .

[gostel]

Ahem, the old NH4 is in fine condition up to SDD. It was so till the 11th we know
Till last Friday it was good till Chouk, I know, cause I drove till the Morbe Dam and back.
Any day I would prefer a leisurely drive on the old highway.

[dot]

Isnt there a stretch where the old highway joins the E-way at the ghats. The two roads run on the same carriageway till Lonawala (Kamat wala) exit. Thats when you spot two wheelers on the E-way.

Never took the Panvel to Lonawala stretch on the old highway as we are always hard pressed for time when we come back home.

Agreed that the Pune -Lonawala stretch gives a very rewarding drive. One of our favourite activity is breakfast or lunch at Kamat. Takes about one hour to reach from Pune.

[Hammer & Anvil]

Originally Posted by yogeshnagpal

... insides of Panvel. Lot of flyover work is in progress. So chances are that he might get delayed.

This is true and far the condition is far worse now. At McDonalds bear left and turn 270 degree right under the MPEH and take the Uran/JNPT road and come around from the west of Panvel to
Palaspa Pahata (where the Goa road turns to the right) and re-join the old Mum-Pune hwy.

I drive once every week on this road, the condition is good. From experience, towards the end of the monsoon and the due to the JNPT truck traffic, it will become terrible, but thats two months away.

Have fun.

[Hammer & Anvil]

Originally Posted by noopster

OK, gotcha. So he takes Palm Beach Road upto Belapur phataa, then turns right onto Uran Road, ...

Not necessary- McDonalds and right for JNPT is good enough. Faster and easier.
KD

[hvkumar]

I have tried the old Bombay-Pune NH4 and will not repeat it - huge jams in Lonavla town, especially over the weekends. For Panvel, you can take the expressway section to bypass the town.

[honeybee]

That's an interesting point raised by hvkumar. Monsoon season will attract a lot of tourist traffic at Lonavla, and the crowds won't necessarily be civil. A better approach would be to take the expressway and then take the second exit at Lonavla. Which descends near the Man-shanti ashram, outside of the centre of Lonavla city. From then on you could take the old NH4.

If he is not a car person, I would suggest he re-thinks his plans to drive the NH4. The expressway should be a much safer alternative, specially in monsoons.

[ranjitp1]

What are the eating options on this route?

[honeybee]

Ramakant's at Khopoli was a popular joint for eating Batata Wada. At Lonavala, there are many joints for snacks as well as lunch. If you want to try something different, you can halt at Man-Shakti (I misspelt it in the earlier post) Ashram, just where the second expressway exit joins the NH4. The ashram is on the right side of the road (when travelling from Mumbai to Pune).

Then there are the old dhabas such as Sunny da and others. The road goes through the villages and towns located near the Mumbai - Pune railway route, so finding a hotel to eat wouldn't be difficult.