[//M]

I plan to travel from Ranchi to Bhubaneswar next week. There are three routes I have shortlisted but I am not sure about the road conditions of these three routes. Plus safety is also a concern in this part of the country. Any inputs regarding these routes would be appreciated.

The usual route is Ranchi-Jamshedpur-Baharagora-Balasore-Bhubaneswar. However post-Phailin, NH-33 between Ranchi-Jamshedpur is in a pathetic state. The drive is bone-jarring and Jamshedpur-Baharagora is no better.

Another alternative is Ranchi-Gamharia-Hata-Bhubaneswar. I am not sure about this route. However, I have heard that the road is in good shape once one enters Odisha. But the Ranchi-Gamharia stretch is again a part of NH-33 which is nothing but a pathetic excuse of a road.


The last alternative is Ranchi-Simdega-Rourkela-Talcher-Bhubaneswar. This is a longer route but probably in a better shape. Not sure about the safety issue.


Need help regarding the routes at the earliest. Thanks in advance.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by //M

The last alternative is Ranchi-Simdega-Rourkela-Talcher-Bhubaneswar. This is a longer route but probably in a better shape. Not sure about the safety issue.

Need help regarding the routes at the earliest. Thanks in advance.

I would suggest you avoid the idea of travelling on NH23, which will be part of your route from Ranchi to Rourkela. This road is not fit to be called a NH, until things have changed in the last couple of years or so.

If you really want to travel through this part I would suggest Ranchi-Gumla-Jashpur-Kunkuri-Pathalgaon-Raigarh-Jharsuguda-Sambalpur then NH42 to Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar.

If you start in the morning you can reach Sambalpur easily by evening (500 KM). You won't have any security problem in this streach since you'll cover the distance during daytime. From Sambalpur to Bhubaneshwar on NH42 you can travel on any time. You'll find lot of trucks and overnight buses on this route throughout the night.

PS : The roads are fine in this route, but there are some small patches with potholes.

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by Sommos

If you really want to travel through this part I would suggest Ranchi-Gumla-Jashpur-Kunkuri-Pathalgaon-Raigarh-Jharsuguda-Sambalpur then NH42 to Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar.

No need to go up to Sambalpur. Take the Pal Lahara-Talcher-Banarpal-Manguli (Cuttack) route.

Originally Posted by //M

I plan to travel from Ranchi to Bhubaneswar next week.
The usual route is Ranchi-Jamshedpur-Baharagora-Balasore-Bhubaneswar.

Why go to Balsore, when you already have the courage of crossing the Bahragora-Jamsola area? Roads in Orissa is usually much better than those of Jharkhand. Take NH-6 leading to Jashipur and Keonjahar and then take the Cuttack bound road from Pal Lahara (driving towards Dhenkanal town), as I have suggested above. You will have two short ghat sections on this road to climb, as an extra delight.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

No need to go up to Sambalpur. Take the Pal Lahara-Talcher-Banarpal-Manguli (Cuttack) route.

Rahulda : Do you mean he should move from Jharsuguda via NH200 till it joins NH6 and then take the Pal Lahara-Cuttack route.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by //M

I plan to travel from Ranchi to Bhubaneswar next week. There are three routes I have shortlisted but I am not sure about the road conditions of these three routes. Plus safety is also a concern in this part of the country. Any inputs regarding these routes would be appreciated.

The best route in my view is Ranchi-Jamshedpur-Tiring-Rairangpur-Bisoi and then onto NH5 as shown here.

Though it does take a part of NH33, but its a good option. There is no route which you can take which will not have bad roads.

The route above gets you a large section of 4 lane road, and good two-lane roads between Jamshedpur-Bisoi and Jharpokharia-Bhubaneswar. Roads upto Jamshedpur are not great, but I think it will still be much better than most of the options you are considering.

The only other option that I see is doing this route. The parts in Odisha should be good, but no idea about Jharkhand side.

[//M]

Originally Posted by Sommos

I would suggest you avoid the idea of travelling on NH23, which will be part of your route from Ranchi to Rourkela. This road is not fit to be called a NH, until things have changed in the last couple of years or so.

Originally Posted by rahul4640

No need to go up to Sambalpur. Take the Pal Lahara-Talcher-Banarpal-Manguli (Cuttack) route.
Why go to Balsore, when you already have the courage of crossing the Bahragora-Jamsola area? Roads in Orissa is usually much better than those of Jharkhand. Take NH-6 leading to Jashipur and Keonjahar and then take the Cuttack bound road from Pal Lahara (driving towards Dhenkanal town), as I have suggested above. You will have two short ghat sections on this road to climb, as an extra delight.

Originally Posted by julupani

The best route in my view is Ranchi-Jamshedpur-Tiring-Rairangpur-Bisoi and then onto NH5
Though it does take a part of NH33, but its a good option. There is no route which you can take which will not have bad roads.

The route above gets you a large section of 4 lane road, and good two-lane roads between Jamshedpur-Bisoi and Jharpokharia-Bhubaneswar. Roads upto Jamshedpur are not great, but I think it will still be much better than most of the options you are considering.
The parts in Odisha should be good, but no idea about Jharkhand side.

Thanks for all the help.

The road from Ranchi to Jamshedpur was fine and doable till a couple of months back. But post Cyclone Phailin, it is in a very very pathetic shape. I would rather take the Ranchi-Khunti-Simdega-Rourkela route instead of taking the NH-33. Infact Ranchi-Jamshedpur can easily be there on top of the worst highways in India rating, if there is any.

I am sure that Ranchi-Khunti-Simdega is having a good surface. However, not sure about the Simdega-Rourkela stretch.

I would love to do the ghat sections in the Pal Lahara route but that will mean driving in the NH-33 for a good 100 kms, which I really want to avoid unless the Rourkela route is even worse.

The Ranchi-Khunti-Simdega route is a state highway and not a part of the pathetic NH-23, hence roads are better and there is minimal traffic too, so this is quite doable.

The only query I have is regarding the safety of Simdega-Rourkela-Talcher stretch. Any inputs regarding this?

[julupani]

Originally Posted by //M

..........
I am sure that Ranchi-Khunti-Simdega is having a good surface. However, not sure about the Simdega-Rourkela stretch.

I would love to do the ghat sections in the Pal Lahara route but that will mean driving in the NH-33 for a good 100 kms, which I really want to avoid unless the Rourkela route is even worse.

The Ranchi-Khunti-Simdega route is a state highway and not a part of the pathetic NH-23, hence roads are better and there is minimal traffic too, so this is quite doable.

The only query I have is regarding the safety of Simdega-Rourkela-Talcher stretch. Any inputs regarding this?

Rourkela onwards there is no safety issue on this stretch at all. But NH23 is also in very bad condition, not much better than what NH33 between Jamshedpur and Baharagora.

If your thinking of heading down south on NH75, how about Ranchi-Khuti-Chaibasa-Kendujhar-Panikoili-Bhubaneswar??

[//M]

Originally Posted by julupani

Rourkela onwards there is no safety issue on this stretch at all. But NH23 is also in very bad condition, not much better than what NH33 between Jamshedpur and Baharagora.

If your thinking of heading down south on NH75, how about Ranchi-Khuti-Chaibasa-Kendujhar-Panikoili-Bhubaneswar??

I recently did Ranchi-Khunti-Chaibasa. It had broken patches but the road is not bad. It is way better than NH-33. However, I know little about Chaibasa-Kendujhar-Panikoili-Bhubaneswar.

I wonder when the NH-33 between Ranchi and Baharagora will be 4-laned. Work is in progress though. Infact it has started, so will take its own sweet time, which I guess should be atleast 4-5 years if not more.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by //M

I recently did Ranchi-Khunti-Chaibasa. It had broken patches but the road is not bad. It is way better than NH-33. However, I know little about Chaibasa-Kendujhar-Panikoili-Bhubaneswar.

I wonder when the NH-33 between Ranchi and Baharagora will be 4-laned. Work is in progress though. Infact it has started, so will take its own sweet time, which I guess should be atleast 4-5 years if not more.

If road upto Chaibasa is good, then I think this will be route to take.

NH215, between Rimuli and Panikoili is in pretty good condition overall and after Panikoili you hit the good old GQ for the last stretch. The only unknown section is the 70kms between Chaibasa and Rimuli.

[//M]

Originally Posted by julupani

If road upto Chaibasa is good, then I think this will be route to take.

NH215, between Rimuli and Panikoili is in pretty good condition overall and after Panikoili you hit the good old GQ for the last stretch. The only unknown section is the 70kms between Chaibasa and Rimuli.

My dad drove through NH 75 and NH215 few years back and he said it had craters the size of moon. Is the road in good condition now? What about safety issues?

[julupani]

Originally Posted by //M

My dad drove through NH 75 and NH215 few years back and he said it had craters the size of moon. Is the road in good condition now? What about safety issues?

Bhubaneswar to Kedujhar takes about 4.5-5 hours and from there to Rimuli should take about 45mins-1hour more. There are no major craters what so-ever. There are no safety issues either on the Odisha side.

True till, about 4-5 years back this road was in pitiful condition, but that has changed now. In fact 4-laning of this section too has started only recently.

Of course, like I said, beyond Rimuli I have no idea.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by julupani

The only other option that I see is doing this route. The parts in Odisha should be good, but no idea about Jharkhand side.

Originally Posted by julupani

If your thinking of heading down south on NH75, how about Ranchi-Khuti-Chaibasa-Kendujhar-Panikoili-Bhubaneswar??

Originally Posted by //M

However, I know little about Chaibasa-Kendujhar-Panikoili-Bhubaneswar.

Long time back (and so has no relevance now. Just adding for the record) Jamshedpur - Bhubaneswar meant the Chaibasa Keonjhar Panikoili route. Always used that route but mainly because if some folks knew I had been to Jamshedpur and not to Chaibasa, they would get into a sulk! Except in the towns on the way, there was no infrastructure anywhere on the way.

Rourkella - Sambalpur, though a SH used to be Orissas pride and joy. How is it now?

Regards
Sutripta

[julupani]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Rourkella - Sambalpur, though a SH used to be Orissas pride and joy. How is it now?

Regards
Sutripta

Rourkela-Sambalpur is still the best SH in Odisha, even though many other SHs are now in very good shape. It was a very very early public-private partnership project, with L&T building and maintaining the highway for a very long time.

And it is set to retain its pride, as L&T is again going to take up 4-laning of the sector. Agreement with L&T is set to be signed soon. Considering L&T has a major facility on this road, they have always been interested in keeping this road in the best of shape.

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by Sommos

Rahulda : Do you mean he should move from Jharsuguda via NH200 till it joins NH6 and then take the Pal Lahara-Cuttack route.

No. I was suggesting this route, in case someone wishes to drive up to Bahragora. So far information I have, this road is good in Orissa. But there are problems of unmarked speed-breakers in this route.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

No. I was suggesting this route, in case someone wishes to drive up to Bahragora. So far information I have, this road is good in Orissa. But there are problems of unmarked speed-breakers in this route.

The only point of that route is if one really wants to drive through at a leisurely pace enjoying the greenery of Odisha. Otherwise the pristine NH5 should get you to Baharagora in about 4-4.5 hours.