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-   -   Mumbai - Ahmedabad : Route Queries (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/16440-mumbai-ahmedabad-route-queries-12.html)

Hello everyone what are good fuel Station Coco pump in route to Ahmedabad from Mumbai ?
thank you Parag for the eateries in route I have made a note of them
Rj

You use the BPCL fuel station locator. https://www.mysmartfleet.com/en-us/S.../LocateUs.aspx

Platinum petrol pumps are as good as Coco. You also install the BPCL app. It has good features to locate petrol pumps enroute.

Few queries for Mumbai Ahmedabad route. I will be traveling to Rajkot from Pune next week.

1. As you enter Gujrat do they ask for RT-PCR test for travelers from Maharashtra or Vaccine certificate is enough?

2. What is road condition between Fountain hotel and Vapi, Also Ankleshwar Bharuch bypass.

3. What are good lunch places between Surat and Bharuch?

If anyone has recently travelled recently please guide.

Thanks in advance.

Travelled on 1st oct

1. We were not stopped for any checks related to covid. As for rules, double vaccination is good enough to travel (no rtpcr needed)

2. Vapi - average roads i. e. Expect few broken surfaces and potholes. FYI, Surat bypass is not in good shape, better to slow down the speed
Ankleshwar Bridge - Minor truck traffic nothing alarming and the new bridge was totally free of congestion.

3. We carried our lunch. Just search the forum and you will see a lot of options shared by bhpians. Some dhaba just after bharuch

Have a great trip :)

I drove from Bangalore to Rajkot but taking a different route. I did Bangalore Hospet Sholapur Aurangabad Nashik(Niphad) Saputara Chikhli Surat Baroda Ahmedabad Bagodara Rajkot.

In short, good roads all the way with no Covid checks crossing any border. The only pain was Ahmedabad to Rajkot as I had no escape from this since I had a reason to be at Gandhinagar. Else would have sure done the more direct Baroda Vataman Bagodara to reach Rajkot.

Surat bypass was messy as always with snarls that lasted as long as 20+ minutes only due to busy junctions.

Baroda Ahmedabad Expressway as usual was video game with shoulder overtakes by all, thanks to total lack of lane discipline now by trucks hogging both the lanes.

It was Ahmedabad to Rajkot that remains the worst section to drive on. Though diversions or the road surface is not something to complain about, it's the countless diversions that remains unmarked or badly marked at most of the places. Further, crossing Ahmedabad till Bagodara still remains a pain due to industries and cut in the medians. Better to do this stretch during non peak hours.

On diversions itself, this section will take at least another 2 years to fully complete. So If you are doing Mumbai to Rajkot, absolutely makes sense to skip Ahmedabad now and do Baroda Vataman Bagodara. It will certainly be a huge time and energy saver.

I had stopped at Sugar and Spice, Palsana (Surat) for refuel and breakfast break.



We stopped at the usual HFM for a quick break between Ahmedabad and Rajkot.

I'm planning an Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Ahmedabad trip sometime next week. While I am used to long driving days, I will be travelling with family which will slow us down a little. The thing is I need to be at Lower Parel by 2-3PM at the latest. What would be our ideal start time from Ahmedabad? Also for regulars on this roue, Last winter we had something called 'Umadiyu' from a roadside stall near valsad and greatly enjoyed it. I think this is a winter only thing and was wondering whether these stalls have started operating this season?

5AM would be perfectly ideal.
As of 2 days back there were none. It's basically a Dec-Jan thing.

Here's one such location where we stopped, and this was during my last drive to Gujarat in Dec 2019.

I wanted to know what would be the best time to leave from Mumbai?
Mostly to avoid traffic and reach with minimum stops.

Would leaving as early as 4 AM be helpful or 6AM would be equally good?

I had driven to Ahmadabad around 5 Years ago and the journey was very smooth , with minimal traffic and driving at cruising speeds we reached in almost 7 Hrs.
On the contrary last month when I was driving to Daman from Mumbai for a weekend getaway there were a lot of heavy vehicles travelling at vv slow speed blocking the entire flow of traffic. This was really irritating as it was very frequent. Hope this is not the scene all the way to Ahmadabad.

Any other guidance from experienced travelers of this route shall be definitely appreciated.

I would say 0400 instead of 0600. This way, you will be able to cross the messy Surat bypass before the industrial traffic actually starts. Surat bypass even on a Sunday can be a time consumer.

Here's a sample of what it can be on a busy day. This was of-course on a Sunday this month. My return was on a Saturday evening and I could manage it without much issues as it was Diwali holidays and industries were shut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iUKCqSY3DY

Even today, the time taken is almost the same but traffic has increased multifold. I believe what has compensated is Fastag or else journey time would have surely increased by an hour.

Till the Delhi Mumbai Expressway is actually completed and thrown open for public, Mumbai Ahmedabad will remain this way.

My experience is as fresh as last week and I can tell you that nothing has changed!

Even when you are doing this stretch at night, what you need to be calculative about is regarding the time the private buses use this section. With Buses and trucks, even with no local traffic, this highway feels like a sea of trucks and buses with cars playing hide and seek.

Trip:Mumbai – Ahmedabad – Mumbai which turned out to be impromptu Mumbai – Ahmedabad - Statue of Unity – Mumbai

MUMBAI-AHMEDABAD | Expected time -8hrs | Actual -10 Hrs
We started sharp at 4 AM from Mumbai hoping to reach Ahmedabad by 12 noon positively.
My description of NH-48: I felt like a basketball player finding my way to the basketball hoop while other players (Trucks) were blocking my way. In spite of heavy vehicles around roads were good and smooth, we reached Bharuch around 9 AM taking only one bio stop and ETA on Google maps kept reducing .
However, this happiness didn’t last long. After crossing Bharuch there was 3-4 Km traffic jam between Nabipur and Varedia because of some repair work going on the bridge. In midst of this jam we saw Hotel Darshan and immediately decided to take a breakfast break, hoping the traffic would clear by then. Even after a hours break the jam did not clear. We wasted more than a hour crossing this jam.

There was small Jam near Jambuva as well which wasted another 30 min. After this we were straight headed for the NE1 connecting Vadodara- Ahmedabad this had much better cruising speed but frequently obstructed by trucks in both lanes.
Finally we reached Ahmedabad at 2:07 PM which was 2 Hrs more than my estimated ETA.:crying


IN AHEMADABAD We visited
Day 1 Science city(It also has a newly made Aquarium of international standard and a Robo gallery) and Kankaria park(it also has New nocturnal zoo)
Day 2 Adalaj Step Well & Akshardham Temple(Indroda National park is on the way)
Day 3 Sabarmati Ashram, Narendra Modi Stadium and take rest for next day drive to Mumbai via Statue of Unity


AHEMADABAD- STATUE OF UNITY | Expected 3:35 Hrs| Actual 3:50Hrs

We started at 7:37 AM and reached Statue at 11:25 AM which was in line with ETA

Roads after Vadodara are good but not as wide, which means you need to be light footed.

Once you reach, you will have to park your vehicle and take a Bus or EV to the statue. Its popularly know as Statue of Unity but there is much more to it like Valley of Flowers, Zoo & Jungle Safari, Boat ride ect. As we were already running short of time we only considered visiting the statue. You can buy tickets at parking lot and go up the statue using the elevator and enjoy the view from chest level of the statue which is at height of 193 Mtrs.



STATUE OF UNITY- MUMBAI | Expected time 7:30Hrs | Actual time 8:30
We had a quick lunch and started for our final destination Mumbai at 3:04PM.
The SH953 was having bit of winding roads and ghat section also passing thru the countryside, google also took us to some very very narrow internal roads for connecting us to NH48, thankfully only two wheelers crossed us from opposite side. Still not sure if this was a shortcut. Although speed was bit reduced but enjoyed my drive as there was almost no traffic on this section.
However, when we connected to NH 48 it felt mentally relaxing to be on familiar road even though it was full of trucks as usual. We experienced bit of traffic before Fountain Hotel as usual.
We took multiple short breaks for tea and for bio calls and finally reached Mumbai at 11:30PM

(Long Term Memory is Starting Ahmedabad - Statue-Mumbai)
One thing is sure that you cannot avoid Heavy vehicle traffic on this route, no matter how early or late you leave. Even after leaving at 4AM from Mumbai we got stuck in traffic for unexpected reasons. Long journeys by road can be unpredictable, please keep sufficient time in hand in case you have any time commitments.
My suggesting would be to leave/Arrive Mumbai or Ahmedabad at non peak hour to save time taken to enter/exit the cities, what happens en route is a matter of luck.
All said and done it was a fun family long drive which everyone enjoyed:)

For the first time since Feb-2020, I took the car on NH48/NH64 towards Surat. This time I attempted a new route:

1. the new Narmada Maiya Bridge connecting Bharuch and Ankleshwar
2. the state highway via Hansot and Olpad

Both the above were experiences in their own right which we'll all see through this post.

I was scheduled to depart Vadodara 12noon after a call, but decided late the earlier night that an early morning departure might be a better option. Got up at 0440hrs and I was ready to leave at 0545hrs. Here is a timeline post that:

1. Departure Vadodara Central 0555hrs
2. Arrival Bharuch 0701hrs
3. Arrival Surat 0900hrs

The new Narmada Maiya Bridge connecting Bharuch and Surat was an experience - zero traffic at that time of the day, flying over some of Bharuch over the Narmada River and landing on the Ankleshwar side onto a decent stretch of highway. There is a second bridge in Ankleshwar. Go straight and it lands into the eastern side of Ankleshwar from where one can get back to NH48/64. There is this right angle turn on the bridge that diverts towards the old state highway to Surat via Hansot and Olpad.

After encountering a few vehicles in Ankleshwar town west, I was hoping to have a smooth passage to Surat but providence had other plans - help me encounter thick fog. I have, so far in life, never navigated fog for more than a km but this time was different, and scary. :eek: It took me 2 hours to do the 72km from Bharuch to Surat, thanks to some fog related delays approx 2km upstream and downstream of Hansot, and then again all the way from Olpad to Jahangirpura. Fog cleared immediately after the buildings appeared in Jahangirpura.

While in Surat, I also got to visit the Tapti River front at Hazira where the river is just a few meters from the road. There was also this chance visit to a farm that had a mangrove, sugarcane plantation and coconut trees bordering the farm, and the owner treated us to some fresh farm produce - tender coconut water. Summing up the trip in pics and a video.

Entry to the Narmada Maiya Bridge - exit the highway, turn right near the GNFC Bus Station and follow map directions to reach the Narmada Maiya bridge


Flying over Bharuch - speed limit on this bridge is 80kmph


Flying over the Narmada - the old Golden Bridge can be seen to the right


Fog building up before Hansot


Encountering fog after Olpad - scary ride

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o31VT-LDUys?

Tapti River very close to the Hazira road (past the AM Naik Heavy Engg. Complex of L&T)


The farm near Maroli


Extra coconuts that I got at the farm


Trip FE on the Vadodara - Surat leg which was fog ridden. This is a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport FYI


Key takeaways

1. Take the Hansot - Olpad route only in the late morning hours and that too if the destination in Surat is closer to this highway. The highway is arrow straight in sections but I personally would prefer the NH anyday.

2. The Narmada Maiya Bridge is worth taking if

a) one is going from Vadodara towards Mumbai as the regular Narmada bridge(s) on this sector is pathetic.
b) map shows a traffic hold up on these pathetic bridges and the toll plaza ahead.

The good cable stayed bridge is on the Mumbai - Vadodara side which is still fine.

3. For first time fog navigators, drop speed to comfort levels, switch on parking lights and fog lamps, and DO NOT overtake unless sure of what is ahead. Follow, with some safe distance, the vehicle ahead that's volunteered to be the pilot if you know the pilot is driving sensibly. :D

4. Expect some surprise delays on the bridge between Nabipur and Varediya just after the Grand Vatika restaurant. I don't understand why these traffic build ups occur, and this highway, touted as one of the best in the country, just doesn't deserve that title. One can never predict when one's plans will go for a toss.

If one has to hit the NH towards Navsari/ Mumbai from Ring Road Surat, please take either of the following to avoid the "rip off" Bhatia toll plaza:

a) the state highway to Navsari after Sachin and then move to NH-48viz. Udhna Darwaza - Sachin - Lajpur - Kasbapar - NH-48 OR Udhna Darwaza - Sachin - Lajpur - Navsari - NH
b) the road via Dindoli and Kharvasa to hit Palsana on NH-48.

I stay in Bharuch and work at Hazira, so i have been doing this trip for the last ten years. I still love going on this road for the greenery and the loneliness it offers. I hate the NH for all the traffic and the trucks clogging it. Winters are difficult because of the fog abetted by the burning of the sugarcane fields. I nearly fell into a ditch during one of the foggy days, there is not much of shoulder on either side. The locals came to my help and asked me to follow one of the local experienced drivers. That's the strategy i follow. Drive slowly with hazard lights on, allow one of the locals to overtake you and then follow him. One can take a right turn after Olpad to hit Hazira instead of going to Jahangirpura. The road is quite desolate and the new petrol pumps on the road have come up in the last 3-4 years. There are CNG pumps closer to Ankleshwar and Olpad. This road is also known as the Dandi path, the road that Gandhiji took as a part of the salt satyagraha. The Golden bridge is closed now and used by cyclist and morning walkers. One must stop at a chai shop close to the bridge and have a look at the engineering that went into the bridge and built close to 140 years ago. The bridge was in regular use till the new bridge came up. This is of riveted construction and was designed for horse drawn carriages. One also gets an amazing view of the Narmada and one should also have a look at the chadar sahib Gurudwara, the history of which is also quite interesting.
I would always suggest to travel in daylight on this route. There are pilgrims especially Jain monks on this road. Lately they have escorts and with proper retro-reflective signage's after quite a few accidents.The road from Ankleshwar to Hansot has trees on both sides to provide shade to the weary pilgrim.Hope they do not cut them down during any road widening project.There are few mechanics/repair shops on this route, but there are tyre repair shops in most of the villages. One has to be wary of animals darting across the roads. Bharuch has service center for most automobile manufacturers. The folks in the villages are very helpful and largely untouched by the greed/in sensitiveness that has overtaken our cities. They are always there to help you and assist you in finding detours.This road has poor public transport and therefore there will be folks asking for a lift. I normally help students, so that they reach school on time. I like talking to the kids and understanding their aspirations.Then it strikes you how unequal things are, not everyone gets the same kind of education. Parts of this road get submerged during the monsoons. If you have a SUV, it is ok. I have a sedan, so i have to be wary.

I would suggest folks travelling from Mumbai to Ahmedabad to try this road in daylight. It will give you peace and will allow you to enjoy the drive, the surroundings and and some good music.There are very few trucks on this road. The main highway faces snarls due to the large number of trucks heading to the industrial hotspots near Bharuch like Dahej, Jhagadiya and Ankleshwar.Unlike the expressway between Vadodara and Ahmedabad, the road between Vadodara and Bharuch has numerous villages opening on to the highway along with breaks for U turns.

Thanks for suggesting this alternate route. However, I am unclear about the exact waypoints suggested by you on this route. Could you list the waypoints of this alternate route from Mumbai to Ahmedabad so that I can mark it on Google Maps.
Would appreciate your recommendations regarding :
1. Best time to leave Mumbai to avoid traffic congestion
2. Any recommended stops for food, fuel and clean loos along the route

Have done over a dozen trips between Satellite Ahmedabad and South Mumbai (545 kms) during the last 2 years. Hence, thought of sharing few observations for the benefit of others:

• The fastest I have done between the 2 places is 6:30 hours while the slowest is 12 hours. The last time I travelled with my children in March 2022, it took 8 hours from Mumbai to Ahmedabad (Holi celebrations day – started at 3 pm and reached at 11 pm) while it took 10 hours in the return (Sunday).
• My guess for an average time without undue risks would be around 8 – 9 hours.
• The roads are generally good. The lane markers are also visible making the drive comfortable. The road is 3 laned from Mumbai to Vadodara (barring outskirts of Mumbai and some stretches in Surat).
• The truck traffic between Mumbai and Baroda has grown manifold. At times, one is made to feel that he is between a sea of trucks.
• The preferred time to leave from Mumbai is by 4:30 am so that one can reach Gujarat in around 2:15-2:30 hours. This way, one can avoid the industrial timings near Surat which can crowd the roads.
• Once near Valsad / Vapi, one can find people crossing the highways (may be for work). Better to reduce the speed in this stretch.
• In winter, there is fog around Manor and nearby places and one has to be mindful of that.
• There are good number of eateries, places of stay and fuel pumps. So no worries on this front.
• If one can plan entry / exit time in Mumbai to avoid peak hours, the journey time can be cut down significantly. My guess would be that entry in Mumbai around midnight should be very smooth.
• As one nears Mumbai, the traffic increases significantly. I have always been mindful of the fact that I may be rear-ended and so have left adequate gap with vehicles ahead of me but have been unsuccessful also due to tearing hurry of other vehicles. One does need to have situational awareness in this stretch.
• The Vadodara – Ahmedabad Expressway is quite a smooth affair but with 2 lanes. The shoulder lanes are also quite wide. One can find several cars using the shoulder lane for overtakes. There have been several accidents in the past due to parking of broken down vehicles. There is generally lane discipline (I meant predictability of vehicles ahead) although heavier vehicles may still hog right lane, except for some impatient cars.
• In the Vadodara – Ahmedabad Expressway, the fuel pump / restaurant is on either end towards completion of journey. So, one cannot start on the expressway with low fuel.
• I have also taken the NH 64 instead of NE-1 for Vadodara – Ahmedabad segment. But I would prefer NE-1 anyday as it seemed fast and safe.
• The Narmada river bridge was a traffic bottleneck earlier. In the last couple of years, I have not found any blockage in Mumbai – Ahmedabad segment. In the Ahmedabad – Mumbai segment, I have taken the old bridge on the extreme left (meant for cars, 2 wheelers etc). Barring marginal delay, there have been no issues now.
• Till recent past, there were quite a few overbridges being constructed leading to diversion by the side in Vadodara – Surat route. But now I think all of them have been completed. At max, one can encounter 1 diversion which also I feel is unlikely.
• I usually fill up fuel in Gujarat before entering Maharashtra as pump prices are lower. (Don’t know the latest). The border is roughly at about 150 kms from South Mumbai.
• While crossing the Maharashtra border at Talasari, the cars can keep the right most lane and drive through.
• In the Vadodara Bharuch stretch, there are few narrow bridges (2+2 lanes) while the rest of the roads are 3+3 lanes. The traffic signs are there but still one has to pay attention while overtaking lest the lane merge and disappear.
• There are couple of places where the road de-merges into 2 bridges (2 lanes each) and then joins back. If one is doing an overtake, it may have to be abandoned.
• I don’t remember about speed breakers although I think few of them are in just outside Surat where one invariably slows down. In any case, they are not there in remainder of stretch.
• The fastag experience has been seamless on this route with the tags being read without any hiccup. However, one can expect few minutes of delay in tollgates near Mumbai due to traffic.
• I have not encountered undue delays or jams in this route (except near Mumbai). But during one trip in monsoons of 2020, I found the road between Vadodara and Surat to be cratered at numerous spots. (they were being repaired also which needs a mention). I don’t know the present situation during monsoons.
• I have generally not seen any police personnel stopping vehicles except at Ahmedabad end of NE-1 on couple of occasions. I have also not accumulated any challans (touchwood) and I am not aware of any speedguns on the route.
• There is availability of seasonal foods like mangoes, guavas, a gram like stuff (name I forgot) etc during daytime. One can explore if time is available.

Did Mumbai to Ahmedabad on 21st August (Sunday)


Source - Bandra, Mumbai 7 AM
Destination - Vaishnodevi, Ahmedabad 7.30 PM
Drive Time - 11 hours
Total Time with breaks - 12 hour 30 mins
Pitstops - Hotel Jalaram Kathiyawadi Dhundalwadi, Jagadish Farshan Karjan, bio-break at NE1, Refueling at BP Luvara COCO


Road Conditions -

• Exiting Mumbai was a easy (Sunday morning) It took only 45 mins from Bandra to Vasai-Ghodbunder bridge.
• From there on progress was really slow with heavy truck traffic throughout the journey.
• There are several potholes developed post-monsoons (especially until Bharuch). Some of them as big as craters (see picture below)
  
  
• Most of the bridges, turf quality has gone bad.
• Post-Bharuch the road quality improves
• Entry from service road to NE1 is broken
• Overall, a stressful drive with heavy traffic & dodging potholes. Even after paying Rs 700+ tolls for LMV (commercial vehicles pay so much more), we have to suffer with such roads :Frustrati

Wouldn't recommend driving down post-monsoon, it's a nightmare with traffic snarls & potholes.