![]() | #1036 |
Newbie Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Kolkata
Posts: 16
Thanked: 21 Times
| ![]() I am planning a Kolkata-Siliguri run on the 23rd or 24th of October. If anyone has been on this route recently, can anyone advise on the road condition? With Pujas around the corner, will it be safe to take the Botolbari-Dhantola route? |
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![]() | #1037 | |
Newbie ![]() Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: IXB
Posts: 23
Thanked: 16 Times
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I had taken the following route onwards Kolkata: Bagdogra>Dalkhola>Malda>Behrampore>Krishnanagar>Ko lkata I had to take Dalkhola route, due to an unavoidable work, however as usual got royally stuck in the infamous jam. ![]() I had started at 7 AM and reached Behrampore which is about 360KM in 14 hours. Halted for the night and did the rest of the journey the following day. This was my return journey: Kolkata>Behrampore>Malda>Botolbari>Bagdogra started at 6 AM reached home at 11:30 PM This is not a preferred route and I had to take due to certain commitments, please take the Burdwan>Morgram route for better drive. Botolbari route has moon size craters in the first 20 KM of the journey and post that it is a breeze. I started at 8:30PM from Botolbari and exited Dhantola at 10:30, due to night time, village traffic was non-existent and it was a trouble free ride. | |
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![]() | #1038 |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,667
Thanked: 6,144 Times
| ![]() Just did a CCU - Jalpaiguri - CCU run. Roads are shambles/ nonexistent in places, and one still pay tolls. Avoid Moregram. It's a lunar surface, which causes vehicles to break down, which then causes jams which will put the ones at Dalkhola to shame. If better roads rather than distance is a consideration, then would suggest CCU - Bardhaman - Shantiniketan - Sainthia - then cut across to Behrampore. And then continue. One will likely still face a jam at Moregram, but not as bad as when approaching from Nalhati. The Bengal to Bengal road has some huge craters. Drive carefully. In some places the road is quite narrow, and if you are forced to go to the shoulder, be careful as sometimes the shoulder is way below the level of the road. Sutripta |
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![]() | #1039 |
BHPian Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Oxford, U. K.
Posts: 83
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![]() | #1040 | |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,667
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First decision is Bhagalpur or Farakka. The veteran travellers are suggesting Bhagalpur. In which case I suggest you drop a PM to Sheel. Sutripta | |
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![]() | #1041 |
BHPian Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Oxford, U. K.
Posts: 83
Thanked: 170 Times
| ![]() I am willing to take the road via Siliguri - Malda - Baharampur - Gokarna - Kandi - Kuli - Burdwan. From Kuli to Burdwan how is the condition via Sainthia, Bolpur, Guskara? I will drive 3rd generation Swift having not so great ground clearance. But will not take the road via Bhagalpur. |
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![]() | #1042 | |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,667
Thanked: 6,144 Times
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The Bolpur route has a chokepoint at the Talit LC. Your other decision is whether Dalkhola or Dhantola - Botolbari. Sutripta | |
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![]() | #1043 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 316
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![]() | #1044 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Kalyani, WB
Posts: 471
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| ![]() Do you mean the Nalhati - Morgram strech of NH-60? Quote:
Unfortunately, the road situation is not going to improve before the middle of November. Some patch repairing has started though. The widening work is resuming for the incomplete Kaliachak - Sujapur stretch as near-bankrupt HCC managed to officially sell-off the Farakka - Raiganj section of NH-12 to cash-rich Cube Highways of Singapore last month. Hopefully, the new company would keep this stretch of NH-12 better maintained. Last edited by gmhossain : 22nd October 2020 at 18:29. | |
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![]() | #1045 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 316
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Also, traveled recently through Bihar and yes, checking of vehicles have started but if timed properly, those check points are not much of a hassle. Besides, outstation vehicles are not checked vigorously, at least that is what I found out. Also, the surface along Bhagalpur route is far far better sans some little stretches. At this point, anyone wanting to go that side should be well advised to take the Jharkhand-Bihar route despite more miles. I hope the new contractor will at least maintain a decent surface to drive on the Farakka-Raigunj stretch. Crossing Sujapur is a nightmare that I would like to forget in a hurry ![]() Last edited by ABHI_1512 : 22nd October 2020 at 18:26. | |
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![]() | #1046 | ||
BHPian ![]() | ![]() Quote:
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One of my colleagues have taken the Durgapur Expressway -> Dhatola- Botolbari route today, travelling since last evening and said the road condition is worst to almost no roads being present at few places. Even the Dhantola route is also having big sized craters. Thankfully they started at around 8-30 pm in the evening and with one dinner halt at Shaktigarh they crossed Farakka at around 3 am without encountering any traffic jam, albeit minimal traffic induced delays in the entire route. It is just the craters which were the massive culprits. Last edited by haisaikat : 22nd October 2020 at 21:03. | ||
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![]() | #1047 |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,667
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| ![]() Right now don't know about the full length from Nalhati to Moregram crossing. Just the three Km from SH7 T Jnc to Moregram crossing was enough! If it rains, all bets are off. As one cannot make out how deep each crater is. Sutripta |
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![]() | #1048 | ||
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 316
Thanked: 3,132 Times
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Election related checks are not that common during the night but one can never be so sure. I have faced too many random checks last year during the night while on my way to Calcutta from Bokaro when elections were on in Jharkhand but that was my bad day at work ![]() Quote:
![]() Last edited by ABHI_1512 : 22nd October 2020 at 23:42. | ||
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![]() | #1049 |
BHPian ![]() | ![]() If anyone's looking to travel an off beat route for this journey, I have once done Kolkata to Siliguri via Patna-Muzaffarpur back in 2016. Except for the stretch between Gaya and Patna, the rest of it was almost completely a breeze. Yes I know its more than twice the direct distance but was a much less stressful journey compared to any of the more direct routes within WB. Covered it in a day - precisely 18 hrs of self driving with 3 stops for my meals and 3 stops for the thirsty AF inline 6 on the car. After a nearly snails pace driving between Gaya and Patna (100kms) that took over 3 hrs, I still managed an average of 66kph for the whole trip thanks to decent dual carriageways in the rest of the journey. Would happily do the same route in near future, just so that I can avoid the horrific highways of WB. ![]() ![]() |
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![]() | #1050 |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,667
Thanked: 6,144 Times
| ![]() ^^^ Q becomes of where to cross the Ganga. Anyone here who has recently used NH31 all the way to Barhi? Sutripta |
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