[Ardy]

Would anyone know the road conditions on NH7 from Hyderabad to Jabalpur via Nagpur and from Jabalpur to Allahabad?

I intend to take a drive on this route during the weekend of July 06th and return on the weekend of July 13th. Any help in road conditions would help me plot my route and night accomodations.

Last time I drove on a portion of this route was in early March during my Kanha trip and am aware of road conditions till Seoni, unless there are changes.

At the moment I plan to stay overnight at Jabalpur on my way up and at Nagpur on the way back.

Cheers,
Ardy

[Vipin Kumar]

Yesterday, I had to touch NH 7 briefly while on my way to Vindhyachal in Mirzapur. I was driving from Lucknow, via Allahabad and Gopiganj. A couple of snaps from near Shastri Bridge over the Ganges:

Direction towards Jabalpur. The condition of the road was not at all impressive:



The direction towards Varanasi. The brief stretch I touched for the first time is just motorable, with lot of rattling of your vehicle. That's all.



Vipin.

[blackbeast]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

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Originally Posted by LongDrive lover

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Originally Posted by Ardy

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Folks, Need help on Hyderabad-lucknow route. Most of the posts here are pretty old and i need info on the present conditions and indicative duration if possible considering the speeds of 100-120 on NH in a palio. I would like to cover kajuraho if time permits but if it includes bad roads then i'll give it a miss. please chip in.

[Ardy]

Originally Posted by blackbeast

Folks, Need help on Hyderabad-lucknow route. Most of the posts here are pretty old and i need info on the present conditions and indicative duration if possible considering the speeds of 100-120 on NH in a palio. I would like to cover kajuraho if time permits but if it includes bad roads then i'll give it a miss. please chip in.

@Blackbeast: I did Hyderabad - Allahabad in early July and the roads were not great once you enter Maharastra. I believe the roads have become worst in recent times. The road between Nagpur & Jabalpur was also pothole ridden. Given that between July and now, rains would have damaged the road surface more and I don't expect the roads to be better off than then now. In fact, from Jabalpur, I had left NH7 and taken Jabalpur - Shahpura - Umaria - Bharni - Maihar route.

Khajuraho is a little off route, so don't think it would be good idea. The road connecting Khajuraho and Jabalpur is all state roads. If you want to use NH, you will have to drive through Rewa and then Jabalpur. Quite long I would say.

Cheers,
Ardy

[srinathv7861]

Hi, have not come across any recent posts on the NH7 route - Varanasi to Hyderabad and thence to Bangalore. Trip is likely to be in 2nd week of February 2014. Aware of the Hyderabad - Bangalore Stretch, need recent inputs on the Varanasi Hyderabad NH7 road conditions. thank you in advance

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by srinathv7861

Hi, have not come across any recent posts on the NH7 route - Varanasi to Hyderabad and thence to Bangalore. Trip is likely to be in 2nd week of February 2014. Aware of the Hyderabad - Bangalore Stretch, need recent inputs on the Varanasi Hyderabad NH7 road conditions. thank you in advance

I did Lucknow - Hyderabad - Mysore and back between 23 December 2013 and 16 January 2014 via Jhansi - Sagar - Lakhnadon - Nagpur - Pandharkwada. While driving from Sagar to Nagpur, I chose to go via Lakhnadon, thus touching NH 7 early, as against the advice that many people at Narsinghpur had given me to travel via Chindwara. NH 7 at the Pench National Park area, around 35 kms, was extremely bad, and I took nearly 3 hours to cover 90 kms to Nagpur from Rukhad (from the Bison Highway Treat where I had stopped for a late lunch). Then the NH 7 is extremely bad at Pandharkhwada for two stretches of 20 kms each. The people at the MPTDC Bison Highway Treat told me that NH 7 through Jabalpur to Benaras is also horrible, and a kilometer's distance of it I could view from the Lakhnadon flyover! The relieving thing is that the Pench stretch up to Lakhnadon is patch-worked and is well motorable now, as I saw it while coming back!!! It had been worth only to be used by bullock carts when I drove to Nagpur side on 24 Dec 2013!

Thus, if you are driving from Benaras, you can take the Allahabad bypass-Kanpur-Jhansi-Sagar route (that is, NH 2 - NH 26 - NH 7). After travelling a hundred kms on the Sagar - Narsinghpur highway, you will come across many bridges where work is still on, and diversions are required. You can do them easily, but it will be a little time-consuming. Kareli town is another little problem, as the bypass work is yet to be completed. You can take the town route, and the distance is same.

Here are a few pictures of the NH 7 for your impression straightaway.

Somewhere immediately after Lakhnadon towards Nagpur:



Five kms before the Bison Highway Treat at Rukhad (an MPTDC motel with facilities to stay), NH 7 becomes the traditional two-lane highway for quite sometime, up to Mansar in Maharashtra. After I left Bison Highway Treat, towards Nagpur:



A few more images of NH 7 in the Pench/Bison area taken when I was coming back. Up to Paoni from Nagpur, you will get bad road even now, for around 10-12 kms. Hope that part is also repaired by now. The last point just before the bad stretch begins, from the Nagpur side towards Jabalpur, at Mansar:



NH 7 at Paoni town:



NH 7 after Paoni town towards Lakhnadon: (you can see the better condition of the road. The patch-work is being done.





I somehow enjoyed driving the stretch shown in the following pics, though my speed was considerably reduced:







The road is two-lane and four-lane intermittently for sometime. Wherever they could make it, they have made it. Rest is motorable anyway, by now. And you can somewhat enjoy the old-styled NH 7 here in these places. Remember, it is on the Madhya Pradesh side that the road has become better.

The typical view of the T-Point at Lakhnadon:



Hope this helps for the time being. Once you cross Pandhrakhwada, NH 7/NH 44 is in fine condition till Bangalore!

Before closing, a couple of looks at Pandharkhwada region, with my car traversing the region (there was sign of patch-work happening only in one point, very disappointing, yet manageable with care):







Have a nice drive, and contact me if you need further info.
Vipin.

[srinathv7861]

Dear Vipin,

Thanks for the valuable update. Will be using these tips . Also will revert in case any queries come up. I was always fascinated by the NH7 as it is one of the longest highways. But I agree that it is poorly maintained once it leaves the southern part of the country and enters towards Maharashtra. Will try keeping your advice in mind.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by srinathv7861

Also will revert in case any queries come up. I was always fascinated by the NH7 as it is one of the longest highways. But I agree that it is poorly maintained once it leaves the southern part of the country and enters towards Maharashtra.

Yes, the NH 7 is indeed worth driving, with the exception of the said sections at Pandharkhwada in Maharashtra, and the first 10-12 kms before you reach Mansar from the Pench side. But the picture from Lakhnadon to Jabalpur and Varanasi could be really bad...

Bison Highway Treat (MPTDC) at Rukhad is the only place worth stopping for food, between Lakhnadon and Nagpur. The place consumes more time for serving you, still the place is very good.

If you don't want to enter Nagpur, and take bypass, you can also stay at Buti Bori, 24 kms away from Nagpur southwards. There are three hotels there, and I stayed at Hotel Mayur Vihar, which is a fine business hotel with all facilities intact.

Vipin.

[Vipin Kumar]

Let us update the route details as much as we know.

The Pench reserves are all four-laned on the Maharashtra part. It is a smooth drive through Mansar and Paoni. But once you enter the MP side from South, the road is under broadening work. There can be long line of vehicles waiting for clearance at the check post.

I am not sure about how the Lakhnadon - Mirzapur - Varanasi section is at present. Anybody with updates?