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Old 12th March 2024, 18:37   #6136
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Re: Bangalore - Goa : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mnjdnght View Post
... drive to Goa on Friday (March 8) ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by rustyg View Post
... you can take alternate of taking left turn and then 90 degree further away - I think it goes through Modi farm ...
A quick update from my March 8 - 10 Bangalore - Goa - Bangalore drive.

March 8: Bangalore - Goa. Left home at 04:00. Reached Hotel in South Goa at 13:30.
Bannerghatta Road - NICE - Nelamangala - Tumkur - Kalaghatgi (via Tadas) - Yellapur - Ankola - South Goa (Benaulim).
  • NICE road: White-topping looks to be complete. Didn't find any work-in-progress sections. Some small stretches were still black top though. Overall good drive.
  • NICE exit - Nelamangala - Tumkur: This used to be very patchy a few years back but has been done up and ride was smooth. There is a flyover work under construction in Tumkur.
  • Tumkur - Tadas turn off: Smooth ride. A few flyovers being built with consequent detours. The detours were smooth. I don't recollect any bad patches of concern.
  • Tadas turn off: There is a clear signage on the highway showing a left turn to Tadas. Take the service road immediately after this sign and the first left from the service road to turn towards Tadas via Modi farm (refer post by @rustyg). The road is slow with a small work-in-progress section but otherwise decent until it hits the Tadas main road. Tadas main road is 2-way but wide and smooth enough. The turn off from this road towards Kalaghatgi is a bit tricky. It looks like one of those roads that Google asks you to take and has a good laugh after. But this one is the correct turn and leads to Kalaghatgi through a scenic rural road that is narrower but still comfortable for 2-way traffic. I felt overall it took quite a while to reach Kalaghatgi and join the Yellapur road. It may have taken similar time to go up to Gabbur and join the Yellapur road but that is my speculation since I didn't try that.
  • Kalaghatgi - Yellapur: Smooth road.
  • Yellapur - Ankola: Patchy at places, but overall ride quality is good. The ghat section is longer and gentler. Overall the Gabbur - Ankola stretch sees quite a lot of truck/ tanker traffic which can slow down the journey.
  • Ankola - Karwar - Pollem (Goa border): Mostly 4 lane with short work-in-progress narrow 2-way sections.
  • Pollem (Goa border) - Benaulim (South Goa): Mostly narrow 2-way roads with some 4-lane sections. This is a painful section to handle at the end of a long drive. Strict speed limit enforcement via interceptors and slow local traffic with most of them sticking below posted speed limits. There are some sections that will not allow any overtake possiblity. Long queue of vehicles stuck behind a hapless tanker or truck seems to be a common occurrence. There are of course a few who dare to challenge fate teasing others to emulate but one would be wiser and safer to stay put and take it easy.
March 10: Goa - Bangalore. Left Hotel in Goa at 09:00. Reached Home at 18:45.
South Goa (Benaulim) - Ponda - Mollem - Anmod - Ramnagar - Dharwad/Hubli bypass - Tumkur - Nelamangala - NICE - Bannerghatta Road.
  • Benaulim (South Goa) - Mollem: Mix of narrow 2-way sections, wider 2-way sections, 4-lane sections etc. Road surface is good. Interceptors are common on the Ponda - Mollem section. Traffic and speed limit slow you down which otherwise could be a bit quicker ... but all for everyone's good I guess.
  • Mollem - Anmod: Ghat section is good. Steeper, narrower and quicker compared to the Yellapur option. Lesser truck/ tanker traffic. The inevitable and now common border check to quiz/ hunt for bottles will give you a short pause after the ghat section.
  • Anmod - Ramnagar: Like many posts before have already mentioned, for about 20 - 30 KMs after Anmod, there are several places where the white-top abruptly ends and after some short and some long work-incomplete-dirt-ditchy sections it resumes again. With some care and caution it is possible to negotiate these. I am sure these conditions are ever changing with deterioration being more probable than improvement. Once this section is done with, rest of the ride till the bypass is good, but still, do watch for the usual speed breakers/ railway crossing etc. that needs care.
  • Dharwad - Hubli bypass (Gabbur): The worst section of the whole journey. Insane traffic density made up mostly of slow moving trucks and long trails of impatient other vehicles. If you happen to feel good that you have passed slow moving traffic to get a clear stretch in front, be prepared to have some heart in the mouth moments with oncoming overtaking traffic coming straight at you. The only positive I found was the brisk widening work that is happening over the entire stretch. So maybe in another 2-3 years, this section will transform.
  • Gabbur - NICE: Nothing much to add. Stays consistent and predictable including the crazy Tumkur - Dobbaspet - Nelamangala - NICE road section.
  • NICE - Bannerghatta Road: Another candidate for the worst stretch. You don't have to contend with oncoming traffic, but it calls for your shoulder driving skills which now seem almost like a third lane with even trucks overtaking other trucks using the shoulder!! What a mess of a road. There are overhead displays indicating your speed as you go under some over bridges on NICE road. I don't know if they are just displays or speed cameras that'll send challans. Have to wait for a few days and check my status since I know I was above 80 at a few places.

Special mention: The road from South Goa to North Goa that we took while doing some local excursions on March 9th. What an amazing stretch! Wide 6 lane roads with clear signages, entry/ exit points etc. Gives an international feel with the vistas en route and ride quality. Kudos to NHAI.

Hope this helps others travelling during the next month or so, after which I expect the conditions to have changed that would need further updates from others.
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