[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by sschivate

I completed a Pune - Solapur - Pune drive over the last two days. The road condition is very good, just a few patches of 2-lane road remaining, not more than 5-7km. If you start early in the morning, it would take you 4.5-5 hours based on the break time. Be prepared to spend some 10-15 min at Modnimb, at railway level crossing. The railway line is not a busy one, but the road conditions are pathetic, making everyone crawl. As expected, the road from Manjari till Swargate was quite crowded, and it took me a long time in the morning commuter traffic (9:30am).
I would recommend Shree restaurant near Bhigwan for the break. It is on the left as you go from Pune to Solapur. Good food, quick service, clean toilets. I had heard a lot about Kanchan (near Yavat), but my experience was not that good. Very limited menu items available for breakfast, and service was s-l-o-w. I mean, I could see the bowls filled up for misaL on the counter, but I don't get one on my table!
I encountered Six toll plazas on the way till Solapur, and I had to shell out Rs 215 overall. The toll-booth experience was a lot better than Pune - Kolhapur stretch. No more than 3-4 vehicles in the line, and no one was cutting in.
Overall, a pleasant experience.

Its only a matter of time before the MH13s get trained by the MH09s in the art of lane cutting,yelling and fights smashing up of Toll Booths

Thanks for the update on the restaurants.Much needed indeed.

[amoghchaphalkar]

A friend recently did the Hyderabad - Pune stretch on bike. He reports the repair work on the Hyderabad - Solapur patch is in process and road conditions have improved.

I also recollect reading a similar update on HVK's Facebook page.

[amoghchaphalkar]

Pune-Hyderabad Update : Based on three route options given by Kumar HV and his feedback I decided to take the Pune-Solapur-Bijapur-Jevargi-Gulbarga-Sedam-Pargi-Chevella-Hyderabad route. From my home in Kothrud, Pune to ISB, Gachibowli, Hyderabad the car odo read 740 kms. It was around 700 kms as per HVK's route map and 676 as per Google maps. I guess I took a wrong turn somewhere but somehow mysteriously ended up coming on the right track. It took me 12:30 hours to complete the journey. But do note that this includes getting stuck in a 2:30 hours traffic jam at Gulbarga. When I say stuck I literally mean it! We were just standing still! Had no freaking idea that Modi was going to address a rally at Gulbarga. It took us 3 hours to move 2 kms. If not for this jam we would have completed the journey in about 10 hours (one breakfast and one afternoon break halt included). The roads in KA are superb. You can easily cover 100 km distance in 65-70 minutes. Roads in AP are good too. More importantly - a stress free and enjoyable drive. Even after being stuck for 3 hours I returned an average speed of 60 kmph for the drive and a fuel efficiency of 20 kmpl. I don't know about the other two routes but enough has been written about them already here. I would think this is THE route to take for Pune - Hyderabad.

[akmits_bhp]

Hello all,

Did pune-hyderabad today all the way on NH9 in my Safari along with my parents. Started 6:00AM from Kothrud reached ORR at 3PM with approximately 1 hr of breaks. The repair work is still in progress. But, its quite manageable now.

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by akmits_bhp

Hello all,

Did pune-hyderabad today all the way on NH9 in my Safari along with my parents. Started 6:00AM from Kothrud reached ORR at 3PM with approximately 1 hr of breaks. The repair work is still in progress. But, its quite manageable now.

That is a good timing! Thanks for this update. I guess I am also taking NH9 next time around.

Possible for you to update which patches after Solapur were good / average / bad? How is the section near Zaheerabad?

Is the road good for hatchbacks or did the Safari make this timing possible?

Thanks!

Amogh

[akmits_bhp]

The Safari factor was pretty much neutralized due to presence of parents in it . Since I had read this thread, I was expecting much worse roads and it was a pleasant surprise to see roads in much better condition. Luckily, both the railway crossings were also open. I saw quite a few sedans and hatches - like Alto with 6 people sitting it it!. I do remember couple of serious potholes. But, nothing that would prompt you to take a detour.

Yes, I would also recommend NH9 at-least till the next monsoon.
-a

[21Archer84]

Did Hyderabad -Pune on 26th in my Fabia. Started at 6:11AM from home @ Balanagar and reached Ruby Hall by 4:30PM.
The road conditions till Solapur is just okay with decent speeds manageable. Reached Solapur at 12:00 with a half hr break for breakfast and a bio break. Solapur - Pune is a breeze, though there's still some road work going on at couple of locations. Plan for a 10hr drive.
As I said before, if the road conditions improve in KA and AP, Pune-Hyd drive can be done in 8hrs with couple of short breaks, as my driving duration this time was around 9hrs.

[zen91]

Originally Posted by 21Archer84

Did Hyderabad -Pune on 26th in my Fabia. Started at 6:11AM from home @ Balanagar and reached Ruby Hall by 4:30PM.
The road conditions till Solapur is just okay with decent speeds manageable. Reached Solapur at 12:00 with a half hr break for breakfast and a bio break. Solapur - Pune is a breeze, though there's still some road work going on at couple of locations. Plan for a 10hr drive.
As I said before, if the road conditions improve in KA and AP, Pune-Hyd drive can be done in 8hrs with couple of short breaks, as my driving duration this time was around 9hrs.

Thanks for the update. How are the road conditions between Zaheerabad and Humnabad, specially those 20 kms before Humnabad.

[21Archer84]

Originally Posted by zen91

Thanks for the update. How are the road conditions between Zaheerabad and Humnabad, specially those 20 kms before Humnabad.

Its not bad. Speeds upto 80kmph can be achieved, but be prepared for surprises.

[TaureanBull]

ok Folks!

I completed Pune-Hyderabad yesterday.

Route : Pune-Solapur-Akkalkot-Gulbarga-Parhi-Shadhnagar-ORR-Gachibowli (Hyd).
Total distance travelled : 602Kms
Time taken : 12 Hrs (with breaks and few delays at railway crossings)

Pune-Solapur

The road work is on at 2-3 places. 2 stretches totalling to 15 kms are double laned and in good condition. Initial road from Pune till one hits the toll road is bad and has traffic even in morning.

Little delays at Tembhurni and Indapur. I guess Indapur has a railway crossing where an overbridge is being made. I got stuck with barrier closed for approx 30 mins.

Took a halt at Vitthal Kamat near Mohol. Decent place with covered parking and clean toilets.

If one is planning to take the Gulbarga route then be careful and dont get on the flyover as entering Solapur. The MMI maps still dont show that as flyover and dont instruct to keep left and take the right turn below the flyover.

Solapur-Akkalkot
Distance : 35kms
Decent two laned road with some traffic. Takes approx 45 mins after getting out of Solapur. Some photographs of the stretch:-









Akkalkot-Hyderabad updates by evening.

[TaureanBull]

Akkalkot to Hyderbad

Akkalkot is a small busy village with lots of shops. Due to some ongoing work we took a little diversion and were back on Akkalkot-Gulbarga road which is non-existent till Karnataka border.

21 Kms from Akkalkot is Karnataka border. The road (which does not exist) is full of potholes and gravelled portions. The stretch takes more than an hour and very painful. I followed the route as previously discussed. However, I noticed a diversion at approx 11 Kms from Akkalkot which was black top. But I am not sure where it led. Even MMI was no help. This portion does make you think that it was a big mistake to undertake this route. Well, I have not seen other options but if any option exist to avoid this portion than it should be undertaken. Some photographs of the section:-















This the Karnataka border where this stretch end.



The road from Karnataka border onwards in the entire Karnataka is superb (Known as SH-10). An average of 80-90 KMPH is achievable. Two laned smooth levelled roads with minimal traffic and a beautiful drive is a dream for any petrolhead. Couple of pics:-





One needs to take the ring road in Gulbarga to avoid the town. I took the Sedam-Pargi route. The route was again wonderful in Karnataka portions. In AP the SH-10 was good however undulating thereby preventing higher speeds. However 80-90 kmph can be easily maintained. This portion again is two laned with beautiful drive.

At Pargi I took a right turn towards Shadhnagar. However, a left turn at Pargi to undertake Pargu-Appa-Hyderabad should have been taken. The road from Pargi to Shadhnagar had work undergoing at several portions but was good. At Shadhnagar the road joined NH-7. From there on the Banglore-Hyderabad highway was great. 20 Kms short of Hyderbad, I undertook the Nehru ORR which is one of the best routes in India I have seen. Couple of photos of NH-7 and ORR:-





Hyderabad-Vizag journey tomorrow.


Mods : Its back to back post because could not post within same time frame. In case required please merge the posts.

[bjawah]

Hey Guys,

I just completed an impromptu drive from Pune to Hyderabad yesterday in my wife's Eon and I thought of adding my two cents to this already elaborate thread on the subject.
So for the background, I used to work in Pune but recently got transferred to Hyd and had moved alone a couple of months back (with family still in Pune). While in Pune I drive my Honda city and my wife has an Eon for herself (which I have hijacked now).
I actually was in Pune for a week, working from home and cherishing the time I was getting with my 3 yr old princess and had conveniently forgotten the scorching heat and lack of luxury @ Hyd. Friday (18th Apr), is when reality stuck me and I started to get nightmares of going back to Hyd and putting up with the terrible heat and commuting on an activa / company transport etc etc (coz I haven't moved my stuff from Pune yet). And Eureka, why not drive down. I was excited and shared the thought with my wife. She was ok but not half as excited as I was, because she wasn't sure if its a good idea to drive down in my city all the way to Hyd, because I am planning to sell that off. And then came the second blow to her, why not in your Eon!! She wasn't too cool with that but subsequently gave in.

So now I had the idea of driving down, I had the list of things I wanted to carry along with me (with ac topping the charts, followed by inverter and TV) and most of all the necessary info through this already elaborate thread.

But, driving down 580 kms in Eon (with so much stuff in it) - I wasn't too sure.
However, the fear of not being able to move all those lifesaving items helped me overcome my apprehensions about driving this car and I left Pune at 07:55 am on Sunday morning. I took the Pune-Hadapsar-Indapur-Mahol-Solapur-Umarga-Zaheerabad-Hyderabad route (From my house in Ambegaon, Pune till my house in Attapur, Hyd my odo read 569 Kms).

Now for the main part - The road condition:

Pune to Solapur - Excellent toll roads. I covered this 260 odd kms in about 4 hrs, which was fairly decent for the Eon.

Solapur to a little ahead of Umarga (till Karnataka border) - The roads are pathetic. Potholes, traffic, narrow road and heavy vehicles are some of the most frustrating things you will encounter in this stretch of the journey.

Humnabad to Hyderabad - The roads are decent and its a pleasant drive.

So overall when I compare this to some of the other experiences shared in this thread, it sounds much better now and I loved the drive. I think the issues which were prevailing a few yrs back (incomplete road work, traffic of sugarcane carriers etc has been sorted, but some stretch continues to be in a terrible state.

Anyways, Now I have a TV, ac and an inverter to save me from heat and boredom and most importantly I have a CAR which (the lack of it) had almost got me affected with SHS (Staying home syndrome) over the weekends in the last couple of months!

PS: I touched about 110 km/hr on a few nice clean stretches and Eon cruised like a baby. After a 11 hrs (with 1.5 hrs lunch+tea+refueling+loo break) I wasn't drop dead tired. So I have some new found respect and love for this cute little addition to the family garage!

Thanks for having the patience and reading through guys. Hope that helps for any future drives on this route.

Cheerz!
bjawah

[jeetaman]

Hi Friends!, Any latest update on road conditions specially whatever amount of rainfall? I am planning to drive to Pune in the 1st week of August. I am planning to stick to Hyd-Zaheerabad-Bidar-Humnabad-Solapur-Pune route. Pl share the experience.
Thanks in advance.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by jeetaman

Hi Friends!, Any latest update on road conditions specially whatever amount of rainfall? I am planning to drive to Pune in the 1st week of August. I am planning to stick to Hyd-Zaheerabad-Bidar-Humnabad-Solapur-Pune route. Pl share the experience.
Thanks in advance.

Hyd-Solapur continues to be a 5-6hr drive irrespective of whether you go via Bidar or not.Solapur-Hadapsar is a 2.5-3hr drive.Overall you should be able to do it in 9-10hrs with breaks provided you do not get stuck at the railway gate at Shetfal where the overbridge still hasnt come up.

[amoghchaphalkar]

Pune-Hyderabad NH9 update:
Left Pune @ 5.30 am. Reached Gachibowli @ 2.30 pm. This includes two breaks with a combined time of 1 hour.
Vehicle : Innova
Pune-Solapur routine. No fuss. 4 laned excellent road. Tembhurni and the railway crossing remain the only bottle neck. Halt as usual at Vitthal Kamat's @ Mohol. Excellent food and service.
Solapur to Karnataka border the road is strictly average. Naldurg section remains a pain. I was lucky to not catch any truck traffic.
Karnataka roads are good / excellent. They are relaying the tarmac in few sections. I could clearly notice the improved condition from my previous visit.
Andhra roads are good /average but you can maintain an average speed of 60+
Other points: still couldn't find any decent place to eat in Solapur-Hyd patch. Vitthal Kamat's remains your best bet. Get something packed from there or carry sandwiches from home.
For Pune-Hyd I would now recommend NH-9 irrespective of the vehicle you are driving.