[jhaji]

Friends,

I am driving to Varanasi next week. Moreover, I will be driving from Varanasi to Saharsa and from Saharsa to Delhi in the first week of July. I have driven Delhi Varansi route a couple of times before and there is SS Traveler's epic NH2 thread to find all there is to find.

What I need help is for Varanasi-Saharsa and Saharsa-Delhi. After looking up various threads here and also at Google Map I have a tentative route as follows:

1. Varanasi to Saharsa:

Varanasi -Mohaniya - Patna - Mahatma Gandhi Setu - Hajipur - Mujaffarpur - on to EW corridor - turn away from EW corridor for Supaul - Saharsa

Any other suggestion is welcome. My queries regarding this route are as follows:
a) Can one avoid entering Mujaffarpur town to get on to EW highway? Should I take some other route from Hajipur which will take me via Samastipur to EW Highway at/near Darbhanga?
b) Is the turning for Supaul/Saharsa well marked on the EW Highway?
c) Should I avoid going through Patna and take a route shown by Google Map which goes from Varanasi via Chhapra to Mujaffarpur and then on to EW corridor? Any idea about this road/route?

2. Saharsa to Delhi

The best route for getting out from Saharsa is again through Supaul to EW corridor. The question is whether I should take it all the way to Lucknow or should I revert back to NH2 via Patna and Mohania? The question mark is because of the bad stretch near Gopalganj at Bihar/UP border. Can my little hatchback Liva GD cross this stretch without damage?

I would be glad to get some help from TBHP travellers. Apart from help with finalising the route, any thing specific to look out for in the route I have described, or the route you suggest, would be great.

[wanderernomad]

Why are you going to Patna? From Varanasi to Saharasa is a very simple and not very far either. You can continue back on the NH2 back to Delhi.

[jhaji]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Why are you going to Patna? From Varanasi to Saharasa is a very simple and not very far either. You can continue back on the NH2 back to Delhi.

I didn't get you. What is the simple way of going from Varanasi to Saharsa? Could you elaborate a bit please.

[SumitB]

Keep in mind that crossing Patna is a pain at any time of the day.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by jhaji

I didn't get you. What is the simple way of going from Varanasi to Saharsa? Could you elaborate a bit please.

I think they may be referring to :

Ghazipur/Ballia/Chapra/Mujjaffarpur option. (No Patna on the way)

Route Link


As regards to return, I think you are better off coming back to Varnasi and continue on the regular 4-lane.

[wanderernomad]

There you have the route link. Crossing Patna is a real pain and almost half a day job, if you are unlucky. Avoid at all costs. But I would prefer the Gaya, Nawada, Begusarai, Khagaria route.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

There you have the route link. Crossing Patna is a real pain and almost half a day job, if you are unlucky. Avoid at all costs. But I would prefer the Gaya, Nawada, Begusarai, Khagaria route.

Thanks. I too was thinking about suggesting that. But I dont know anything about the road after the Ganga bridge. Hence did not want to comment.

[Sheel]

Supaul isn't that well marked as it is not the E-W corridor. The district Supaul falls under it.

You have to take a right at Saraigadh and take the Supaul - Bhaptiyahi road. Saraigadh is marked, but you have to watch for it. Mostly, 5+ kms after Kosi bridge.

In general, the E-W corridor bypasses Muzaffarpur town, but some amount of irritating local traffic filters in.

Gaya - Barauni - Maheshkhut is also a good option. From Barauni to Khagaria, roads are in a mess. For about 40 kilometers.

Interestingly, I travel from Purnia, cross Kosi bridge and take a right (just short of Nepal border) Have a work there and do this, around 2-3 times a week. Also go to Supaul, 2-3 times a week. So, this is the road I mostly travel on, nowadays.

If you Liva would be fully loaded, you will have to watch out and please try to do the Gopalgunj sector in the day (if you are taking this route and the earlier, the better)

[jhaji]

Originally Posted by ampere

I think they may be referring to :

Ghazipur/Ballia/Chapra/Mujjaffarpur option. (No Patna on the way)

Route Link

Thanks for the link. Looks like I should avoid Patna in any case. Any idea if the road from Varanasi to Mujaffarpur is okay?

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

There you have the route link. Crossing Patna is a real pain and almost half a day job, if you are unlucky. Avoid at all costs. But I would prefer the Gaya, Nawada, Begusarai, Khagaria route.

Thanks wandernomad. I will avoid Patna. Why do you prefer the Gaya route? Is it faster or better, if I may bother you again?

Originally Posted by Sheel

Supaul isn't that well marked as it is not the E-W corridor. The district Supaul falls under it.

You have to take a right at Saraigadh and take the Supaul - Bhaptiyahi road. Saraigadh is marked, but you have to watch for it. Mostly, 5+ kms after Kosi bridge.

In general, the E-W corridor bypasses Muzaffarpur town, but some amount of irritating local traffic filters in.

Gaya - Barauni - Maheshkhut is also a good option. From Barauni to Khagaria, roads are in a mess. For about 40 kilometers.

Interestingly, I travel from Purnia, cross Kosi bridge and take a right (just short of Nepal border) Have a work there and do this, around 2-3 times a week. Also go to Supaul, 2-3 times a week. So, this is the road I mostly travel on, nowadays.

If you Liva would be fully loaded, you will have to watch out and please try to do the Gopalgunj sector in the day (if you are taking this route and the earlier, the better)

Thanks Sheel. I may also stopover at Purnia if I have time on my way back. Maybe we can meet over a cup of tea, if things work out.

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by jhaji

Thanks wandernomad. I will avoid Patna. Why do you prefer the Gaya route? Is it faster or better, if I may bother you again?

Less traffic, ok roads and crossing at Begusarai is lot less simpler.

[jhaji]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Less traffic, ok roads and crossing at Begusarai is lot less simpler.

As of now, I am more inclined to take the Varanasi-Ghajipur-Ballia-Chapra-Muzaffarpur route to Saharsa, because I want to check out the EW expressway and also would like to go through those areas that I have never traveled before. Maybe, it will be slightly cooler too compared to Gaya side. Someone from Chapra told me today that Chapra-Muzaffarpur road is quite fine and 80 kms can be done in one and half hours. When in Varanasi I will inquire around regarding the state of roads from Varanasi till Chapra.

I am exploring the possibility of returning from Saharsa to Delhi by this route that you suggested: Saharsa-Maheshkhunt-Begusarai-Mokamah-Nawada-Gaya-Dobhi. Or, if I go to Purnia for some reason, then via NH 31 to Begusarai and onwards.

Unless I figure that I can tackle the bad roads near Gopalganj. Actually, I have taken NH2 before, so want to try a new road. Though I suppose I will have to revert back to NH2 at Kanpur. Any idea how is NH 24 from Lucknow to Delhi?

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by jhaji

Though I suppose I will have to revert back to NH2 at Kanpur. Any idea how is NH 24 from Lucknow to Delhi?

The road is good but has a lot of bottlenecks as the NH becomes crowed with a slew of towns and cities that have sprung up. But over all the tarmac condition is good.

[jhaji]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

But I would prefer the Gaya, Nawada, Begusarai, Khagaria route.

As regards the road via Mokameh-Nawada-Gaya the post by Nonstop-driver on this page has me worried:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...driving-3.html (ARTICLE: Guidelines & Tips for Safe NIGHT Driving)

Any idea about this road now? Is there an alternative?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by jhaji

Any idea how is NH 24 from Lucknow to Delhi?

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

The road is good but has a lot of bottlenecks as the NH becomes crowed with a slew of towns and cities that have sprung up. But over all the tarmac condition is good.

Precisely. I had done this route in a day in daylight. But the traffic in UP is irritating. There are a lot of people and even cycle wallas don't budge if you honk.

Originally Posted by jhaji

As regards the road via Mokameh-Nawada-Gaya the post by Nonstop-driver on this page has me worried:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...driving-3.html (ARTICLE: Guidelines & Tips for Safe NIGHT Driving)

Any idea about this road now? Is there an alternative?

Didn't get you here. There is another route via Bhagalpur, but I won't advise it.

[jhaji]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Precisely. I had done this route in a day in daylight. But the traffic in UP is irritating. There are a lot of people and even cycle wallas don't budge if you honk.


Didn't get you here. There is another route via Bhagalpur, but I won't advise it.

There seems to be another road, I think NH91, via Kannauj and Aligarh. One can get on to Yamuna Expressway from Aligarh. Do you have any idea about this?

Nonstop-Driver's post on the link to the page that I had posted describes very very bad road between Barbigha and Mokameh. Maybe one can just bypass barbigha by going via Lakkhisarai and Sikandra, or even Jamui, to Nawada from Mokameh.