[devnull]

Awesome, guys. Very useful timely inputs. Thanks. So seems like Hyd-Viz will be a piece of cake. So I'll put some good amount of rest at Viz for the whole day before embarking on the tougher leg the next day.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by devnull

Awesome, guys. Very useful timely inputs. Thanks. So seems like Hyd-Viz will be a piece of cake. So I'll put some good amount of rest at Viz for the whole day before embarking on the tougher leg the next day.

Vizag-Kolkata should take you about 13-14 hours. There are two bottle necks, traffic in and around Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and the WB-OD border check post at Laxmannath.

Vizag to outskirts of Bhubaneswar should take you about 5.5 to 6 hours, thanks to sparse traffic. Clearing Bhubaneswar-Cuttack should take about 1 to 1.5hours, without breaks. Cuttack outskirts to Kolkata should take about 6-7 hours.

[Maverick79]

Mates!

Any update on kind of blockages in this route due to the agitations?
Seeing so many such panic scenes in the news channels. Can any one give the ground reality?

Planning for a trip tmw morning.

Regards
Maverick79

[devnull]

Originally Posted by Maverick79

Mates!

Any update on kind of blockages in this route due to the agitations?
Seeing so many such panic scenes in the news channels. Can any one give the ground reality?

Planning for a trip tmw morning.

Regards
Maverick79

Oops, this would come as a very late response. Hope you had a safe drive. As I did a few days back. I started from Hyderabad last Saturday at 2 AM and reached Vizag by 12 PM. There was no incident whatsoever though it would have been quite a miracle to see an agitation during those hours.

The roads are absolutely awesome save for the ones through Vijaywada. The stretch between Vijaywada and Rajahmundry is riddled with small potholes at frequent intervals but thankfully, most of them are towards one side of the road. So with a little alertness, you can easily avoid them and drive past.

[devnull]

Originally Posted by julupani

Vizag-Kolkata should take you about 13-14 hours. There are two bottle necks, traffic in and around Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and the WB-OD border check post at Laxmannath.

Vizag to outskirts of Bhubaneswar should take you about 5.5 to 6 hours, thanks to sparse traffic. Clearing Bhubaneswar-Cuttack should take about 1 to 1.5hours, without breaks. Cuttack outskirts to Kolkata should take about 6-7 hours.

I'm at Kolkata now with my dear Chevy Chamko. Will post a more detailed report later on but yes, you were spot on with your pointers. I had two questions though:

1. What really goes in the Orissa borders? I mean seriously, queues of trucks stretching till 3-4 kms to cross the border. Why?! And why not in other states? I encountered the same kind of jams at both AP-OD (Ichchapuram) as well as OD-WB (Sonakuniya) borders.

2. What's with all the long trailer trucks and heavy vehicles in general, having NL (Nagaland) licence plates? By the looks of the drivers and the decorations / writings on those vehicles, they certainly don't seem to be owned by people of Nagaland. Yet, almost all of them have NL plates. What am I missing here or am I reading too much into it or does NL stand for something completely different?

[julupani]

Originally Posted by devnull

1. What really goes in the Orissa borders? I mean seriously, queues of trucks stretching till 3-4 kms to cross the border. Why?! And why not in other states? I encountered the same kind of jams at both AP-OD (Ichchapuram) as well as OD-WB (Sonakuniya) borders.

The OD-WB border on the GQ is a comparatively new one, as it came up only after the GQ moved the alignment of the main highway off the NH5. Thus an agreement regarding a joint check post wasnt reached till recently. If you see now, infrastructure for the joint OD-WB check post is coming up, which will smooth out this particular border crossing. Attaching a picture showing the same.



Earlier people used to take the NH5 right upto its junction with NH6 and the border crossing used to be at Jamsola. The Jamsola border check-post was a tri-state check post, for trucks moving to and from Odisha-West Bengal-Jharkhand(or earlier Bihar). This check post still exists.

Unfortunately, there is no joint check post coming up on the OD-AP border. Thus the line still continues. But even here the Odisha side of the check post created some parking space for the truckers, thus reducing the trucks parked on the road. The AP side though is more problematic due to lesser parking space. Add to that, many truckers also like to stop in Icchapuram/Girisola, which increases the numbers of trucks parked on the road. But still I can tell you, the situation is much better than it was a few years ago. Though a joint check post would be ideal.

Odisha Side:


Andhra Pradesh side:

Originally Posted by devnull

2. What's with all the long trailer trucks and heavy vehicles in general, having NL (Nagaland) licence plates? By the looks of the drivers and the decorations / writings on those vehicles, they certainly don't seem to be owned by people of Nagaland. Yet, almost all of them have NL plates. What am I missing here or am I reading too much into it or does NL stand for something completely different?

Taxes on heavy trucks is lower in Nagaland compared to other states, thus many truck owners register their trucks in Nagaland. But this practice has come down in recent years.

[Maverick79]

Hi Mates,
Did a Chennai - Vijayawada - Vizag on 9th Aug.
Returned on 11th Aug to Chennai.

Route taken Onward:

Part 1: Chennai - Redhills - Tada - Nellore - Ongole - Chilakaluripeta - Guntur Bypass - Mangallagiri - Vijayawada. ( 478 Kms)

Start time: 6.40am.
Reaching time: 1.35pm.

Breaks : 45 mins - Lunch ( Delight Dhaba - Typical Dhaba style. Good Food, Okay ambience).
15 Mins - 2 breaks for relieving.
Road Condition: Patch works from Redhills till Gummidipondi and Tada.
6 lane till Chilakaluripeta.
Again, frequent patchs of expansion till Mangallagir.
Two way from Mangalagiri to Prakasam Barage.

After waiting for another 1 hour in Vijayawada Bus stand for picking up by BIL, started again for Vizag.

Part 2 : Benz Circle - Eluru - TP Gudem - Nidadavolu - Rajahmundry - Annavaram - Yellamancili - Vizag.( 352 Kms)

Start time: 2.30pm.
Reaching time: 8.30pm.

Breaks: 15 mins X 2

Road condition: Benz Circle to TP Gudem - 4 or 6 lane.
Nidadavolu - Vemagiri - Rajahmundry - Single lane.
Good for sight seeing. Road runs along the canals. But Pathetic.
Full of potholes. Lost more time in negotiating them. Pls avoid this stretch. Take the NH5 though longer. ( Took while returning back Approx 30Km more).

No major road blocks at any location while going onward. However, found some burned tires at few locations near Vijayawada and in Rajahmundry.

Total Travel time: 5.45 hrs + 4.30 hrs = 10.15 hours.
Total distance : 478+352 = 840 kms.
F.E - 18. 8kmpl.
Cruising speeds - 60 to 120Kmph.
Toll paid - Rs 640.

Return Journey Route:

Gajuwaka - Annavaram - Rajahmundry - Tanuku - TP Gudem - Eluru - Vijayawada - Kunchanapalli - Guntur Bypass - Chilakaluripeta - Ongole - Nellore - Tada - Redhillls - East Tambaram.

Distance : 858 Kms.
Starting time: 7.40 am.
Reaching time: 10.00 pm.

Breaks:
Lunch : 40 Mins.( Hotel 7 Family restaurant after crossing Krishna river. Not suggestable. Avg food and below avg ambience)
Rastha roko - 20 Mins ( Luckily, we arrived at its last stage near Chilakaluripeta)
Releiving : 10 mins X 4.
Dinner : 20 mins ( CCD at Tada, Integrated Check post HP COCO pump)

Total Time : 14.40 mins.
Travel time : 12.40 mins.

Curising Speed - 80 to 110 kmph.
F.E : 19.6 Kmpl.
Toll paid : Rs. 700.

[9tMax]

Originally Posted by devnull

I'm at Kolkata now with my dear Chevy Chamko. Will post a more detailed report later on but yes, you were spot on with your pointers.

Hi,
Have you posted the road condition update in any other thread? How was the road condition in Orissa? And how did you enter Kolkata - through the 2nd Hooghly Bridge or the Kona Expressway? Can you please share the details.
I am planning a drive during Dussehra.
Thanks.

[devnull]

Originally Posted by 9tMax

Hi,
Have you posted the road condition update in any other thread? How was the road condition in Orissa? And how did you enter Kolkata - through the 2nd Hooghly Bridge or the Kona Expressway? Can you please share the details.
I am planning a drive during Dussehra.
Thanks.

I posted some details at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3233643 . Roads in Orissa post Bhubaneswar (towards Kolkata) are not as good as AP. Countless diversions due ongoing work. As such, the roads are smooth.

I entered Kolkata through the Vidyasagar Setu. I was going towards Rajarhat. So got down from the Setu, then Central - Maniktala - Shyambazar - Ultadanga - Rajarhat. In between, I lost my way and reached College Street! Must say, that was something - suddenly amidst the busy, trams and taxis after 2 days of driving on national highways.

Where in Kolkata do you need to go? I guess the Kolkata residents would be able to guide you better in this one.

[9tMax]

Originally Posted by devnull

I entered Kolkata through the Vidyasagar Setu. I was going towards Rajarhat. So got down from the Setu, then Central - Maniktala - Shyambazar - Ultadanga - Rajarhat. In between, I lost my way and reached College Street! Must say, that was something - suddenly amidst the busy, trams and taxis after 2 days of driving on national highways.

Where in Kolkata do you need to go? I guess the Kolkata residents would be able to guide you better in this one.

Thanks for the update.
Last time I took this trip in 2010, and I remember that the last stretch of road in Howrah, while approaching Vidyasagar setu, was in quite bad shape and pretty crowded too. How was your experience?
In Kol my destination is Salt Lake - so I am thinking this time whether I should continue towards north on NH-6 and enter through the Belgharia Expressway - Jessore road route or not.
Kolkata BHPians - any suggestions?

Another question - how do you reach Chilka Dhaba, assuming that they are still located on the old NH-5 route? Now that it is away from the new road, any signboards are there?

[julupani]

Originally Posted by 9tMax

Thanks for the update.
Last time I took this trip in 2010, and I remember that the last stretch of road in Howrah, while approaching Vidyasagar setu, was in quite bad shape and pretty crowded too. How was your experience?
In Kol my destination is Salt Lake - so I am thinking this time whether I should continue towards north on NH-6 and enter through the Belgharia Expressway - Jessore road route or not.
Kolkata BHPians - any suggestions?

Another question - how do you reach Chilka Dhaba, assuming that they are still located on the old NH-5 route? Now that it is away from the new road, any signboards are there?

After you pass a small ghat section called the Khallikote Ghat, keep a look out for signboards for Barkul, OTDC Panthanivas Barkul, or Chilika Dhaba. There are quite a few signboards now telling you about the turn off. Remember you have to go under the new highway to join the old highway.

At the turn-off for Barkul, you take the old NH5 and Chilika Dhaba is only about half a km off the new highway.

[devnull]

Originally Posted by julupani

After you pass a small ghat section called the Khallikote Ghat, keep a look out for signboards for Barkul, OTDC Panthanivas Barkul, or Chilika Dhaba. There are quite a few signboards now telling you about the turn off. Remember you have to go under the new highway to join the old highway.

At the turn-off for Barkul, you take the old NH5 and Chilika Dhaba is only about half a km off the new highway.

Yes, perfect. You need to go underneath the new highway. So once you see those signboards (Chilika Dhaba is on the right hand side), look out for a kachcha exit which will go down and take you underneath the highway to the other side. There keep going for half a km and you'll find it.

Originally Posted by 9tMax

Thanks for the update.
Last time I took this trip in 2010, and I remember that the last stretch of road in Howrah, while approaching Vidyasagar setu, was in quite bad shape and pretty crowded too. How was your experience?
In Kol my destination is Salt Lake - so I am thinking this time whether I should continue towards north on NH-6 and enter through the Belgharia Expressway - Jessore road route or not.
Kolkata BHPians - any suggestions?

The road leading to the Setu is fine but yes, very crowded. I arrived on a Monday afternoon and it was quite jam packed. Especially that small bridge before the Setu (don't know the name).

I tool the Belghoria route while on a day trip to Durgapur. Actually that's much shorter if you are going towards Salt Lake / Rajarhat. But few things to watch out for - 1) Multiple exits from the new Bally bridge which are very confusing. Same is the problem on the Setu too. You need to take the left most one if going towards Airport. 2) The queues at the toll booth before the bridge are really long with vechicles trying to jump queues here and there. 3) The road before the airport was in an abysmal state (a month back). Not sure how it is now. Think as abysmal as you can. You might actually get done with your Nicco park rollercoaster rides there itself.

[devnull]

One more thing - the stretch between Vijaywada and Rajahmundry has quite a few small potholes strewn all over, for about 100 kms out of Vijaywada. They can be easily avoided by some watchful driving but they do sting if you hit them at those speeds. So just watch out.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by devnull

Yes, perfect. You need to go underneath the new highway. So once you see those signboards (Chilika Dhaba is on the right hand side), look out for a kachcha exit which will go down and take you underneath the highway to the other side. There keep going for half a km and you'll find it.

The kaccha road has now been properly laid.

There were some small sections of incomplete work the NH between Berhampur and Bhubaneswar, like the approach road to the railway overbridge near Rambha, a small section of 2-lane road near Chattrapur and connecting up a few of the road like the old NH at Rambha and Baluguan to the new NH, etc.

In a recent trip I took in early September, I see all these small works are now complete.

[9tMax]

Originally Posted by devnull

One more thing - the stretch between Vijaywada and Rajahmundry has quite a few small potholes strewn all over, for about 100 kms out of Vijaywada. They can be easily avoided by some watchful driving but they do sting if you hit them at those speeds. So just watch out.

That seems to be a new development. Don't remember seeing anything like that even during June when we went to Vizag. Outcome of the recent political protests on the highways ??

Originally Posted by julupani

The kaccha road has now been properly laid.

........
In a recent trip I took in early September, I see all these small works are now complete.

Thanks, let's see if we can manage a lunch at Chilka Dhaba this time.

Are there any safety issues if I cross OD on the NH-5, during the late night hours (say in between 10 PM to 5AM)? I'll be traveling with my family.