[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Simhi

I am planning to travel to Aurangabad from Pune in coming weeks. I plan to go through the Nagar city and proceed to Aurangabad via DSP chowk. Can you let me know where is the flyover work going on? Do you recommend any other alternative route to avoid Nagar traffic?

As @dpat17 suggested, the bypass is highly recommended, even though it is long, but you end up saving time and more importantly it is stress free and has beautiful scenery. Just be very careful overtaking as it is undivided for most part of it.

Do note that this road is easy to miss as it is not clearly indicated as a bypass and there is no advance signage for it. (Maybe a couple in Marathi if coming from Aurangabad side. Pune side I am not sure as I missed it on my onward trip to Aurangabad) Plus Google Maps does not even mention it as an alternative route, even as you approach. But once you take it, it quickly takes you through and re-estimates the ETA.

The clue is to look for a major junction (taking left to Shirdi / Kalyan etc) before Ahmednagar. You will see a lot of trucks on that road. Once taken, follow the road signs and avoid following Google Maps till you are back on the Ahmednagar - Aurangabad road. Google Maps keeps telling you to take turns that will eventually bring you back into the city or MIDC Industrial Area etc, and you will end up losing more time. Just follow the street / highway signs and you should be good!

For reference, here is the route: https://goo.gl/maps/yfVzdurJiMvbkQyA8

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Glifford

Do note that this road is easy to miss as it is not clearly indicated as a bypass and there is no advance signage for it. (Maybe a couple in Marathi if coming from Aurangabad side.

When driving from Aurangabad, you will spot an overhead sign in blue clearly indicating a right turn for PUNE/MUMBAI. The overhead sign is here, a few hundred meters before taking the right for Nagar bypass.

Pune side I am not sure as I missed it on my onward trip to Aurangabad)

When coming from Pune, the signage is again a tall overhead blue board indicating a left for AURANGABAD/SHIRDI placed here.



I distinctly remember the signage coming from Aurangabad side as I ended up turning right here few years back and then took a U-turn realising the pathetic state of bypass then.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I distinctly remember the signage coming from Aurangabad side

Yes, from Aurangabad, I was looking out for this. There were a couple of (black text on white) boards in Marathi which mentioned the bypass with a count down like 1000m, 500m. The standard Blue boards don't mention that!

[Simhi]

Originally Posted by dpat17

I recommed going through Ahmednagar city only if it's early morning (before 8 am) or late night. Prefer Ahmednagar bypass for any other time of the day.

Originally Posted by Glifford

As @dpat17 suggested, the bypass is highly recommended, even though it is long, but you end up saving time and more importantly it is stress free and has beautiful scenery. Just be very careful overtaking as it is undivided for most part of it.

Thanks a lot for your inputs.

I traveled from Pune to Aurangabad and back this week. I took the bypass as recommended in the onward journey. Though long, I ended up saving time and it was stress free. There are a lot many potholes in the first 40 kms from Ahmednagar to Aurangabad and need to steer carefully through them. Hope they patch it up soon.

In the return trip, I had a stopover at Ahmednagar city but still was able to avoid the flyover stretch, thanks to Google map.

[carlosTHEjackal]

Latest update on Route - 16 Nov 2021

Nashik - Ellora (Grishneshwar) - Aurangabad:

Vehicle : Skoda Rapid

Total Drive time : 4:30 hours with Darshan @ Grishneshwar and Biobreaks.

Start Time: 0700 hrs from Nashik;
End Time: 1130 Aurangabad (Detour Grishneshwar).

Route Taken :

Nashik - Odha - Saykheda - Niphad - Vinchur - Yeola - Vaijapur - Shivoor - Pachapirwadi - Ellora - Aurangabad

Conditions:
Nashik - Odha - Saykheda - Niphad - Vinchur - Yeola - Vaijapur
4 Laned highway till Vaijapur. Roads are not smooth. As toll isn't collected for cars, the car traffic might not be their priority.
Multiple sugarcane tractors on road which slows down the steady progress. The roads aren't smooth, multiple undulations check the speed. Can't go beyond 100 Kph.

Vaijapur - Shivoor
Two laned very good roads. About 4 kms nearing to Shivoor, road quality suffers, due to recent flooding, there are craters on the road.

Shivoor - Pachapirwadi
Very big craters throughout the toad. Can't go beyond 20 Kph for the entire stretch. Floods after-effect in full glory. This is the worst section of the route and can easily take 35 minutes for 12 to 14 Kms.

Pachapirwadi - Ellora - Aurangabad
Road are good as you join NH52. And good roads between Ellora to Aurangabad.

If road conditions improve, between Shivoor to Pachapirwadi can reduce 30 Minutes from the overall trip duration.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by carlosTHEjackal

Conditions:
Nashik - Odha - Saykheda - Niphad - Vinchur - Yeola - Vaijapur
4 Laned highway till Vaijapur. Roads are not smooth. As toll isn't collected for cars, the car traffic might not be their priority.

Isn't it 4 lane till Yeola only? Yeola to Vaijapur is fresh tarmac and this continues all the way till it intersects Nagar Aurangabad road.

And I agree, the 4 lane stretch from Niphad till Yeola is not in great shape. This is exactly how it was 3 weeks back when I drove here while doing Aurangabad to Ahmedabad via Nashik and Saputara.

This was the patchy Vaijapur - Yeola section where I was lucky because I had started from Aurangabad sharp at 0500 and traffic in this section was near zero and I could keep switching my lanes to escape the small potholes (some of them big). I also noticed that the Yeola to Vaijapur section was more rough compared to Vaijapur to Yeola section that I was on.





Also, roads inside Vaijapur leading towards Gangapur that further intersects with Nagar - Aurangabad highway was 100% complete with concretized roads inside towns. Exactly in January this year, crossing the town was painful affair due to work in progress sections here.





Also, those planning beyond Nashik towards Saputara, the Niphad to Saputara section is fantastic and concretized till you enter Saputara. There is only one culvert and an ROB work that is incomplete on this stretch.

[dsnaveen21]

Hi Guys,

Please need your help.

Day 1: Thane to Aurangabad
Day 2 Aurangabad (Ellore (34 cave temple) and local sightseeing) --Auto hire
Day 3: Aurangabad (Ajanta 100kms)
Day 4: Aurangabad to Thane

Will be travelling in Honda civic..
a. Will be taking the below route from Thane to Aurangabad, are the roads good..
Thane - Igatpuri - Sinnar - Vaijapur - Gangapur - Aurangabad
b. Aurangabad to Ajanta, are the roads good.

Thanks,Naveen

[vivek95]

I recently drove my Polo from Aurangabad to Navi Mumbai on 23rd November 2021 and stuck to the standard Aurangabad--Nagar--Pune--Mumbai route. Clean 4 lane roads from Aurangabad to Pune, with Aurangabad--Nagar being a bit patchy here and there but definitely good all throughout. Nagar--Pune is mostly on the smoother side. Nagar bypass continues to remain in good shape from my last drive in June 2020. Car traffic on Aurangabad--Nagar--Pune was crazy high, extremely extremely high - competes with Kolhapur--Pune !!

And oh my God !! -- The sheer number of good eateries /restaurants on Nagar--Pune highway is the highest I have ever seen in my life on any 4 lane stretch. Umpteen umpteen options on both sides, again competes or slightly outnumbers that on the Kolhapur--Pune stretch.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by dsnaveen21

Hi Guys,
Will be taking the below route from Thane to Aurangabad, are the roads good..
Thane - Igatpuri - Sinnar - Vaijapur - Gangapur - Aurangabad

You can very well go through the conditions of roads between Nashik and Aurangabad on this thread. They mostly remain good except Yeola to Vaijapur which is patchy and has potholes.

Also, you may want to look at this thread for conditions between Thane and Nashik -

Originally Posted by Suprit

I travelled from Mumbai to Nashik on Sunday, 10th Oct, returning after a 3 week stay in Mumbai. They have indeed started repairing the potholes.
The worst stretch towards Nashik was between Igatpuri and Ghoti.
Last week, sections of the southbound lane between Ghoti and Igatpuri were closed for resurfacing that day.
Now that a week has passed without heavy rains, I think the road should be back to normal now.

Originally Posted by vivek95

And oh my God !! -- The sheer number of good eateries /restaurants on Nagar--Pune highway is the highest I have ever seen in my life on any 4 lane stretch. Umpteen umpteen options on both sides, again competes or slightly outnumbers that on the Kolhapur--Pune stretch.

I absolutely agree and add to that the number of fuel stations as well. They are not only more in number but are large and well lit and also many COCOs too.

[AbhishekMushran]

When coming from Pune, the signage is again a tall overhead blue board indicating a left for AURANGABAD/SHIRDI placed here.

Attachment 2222237

I distinctly remember the signage coming from Aurangabad side as I ended up turning right here few years back and then took a U-turn realising the pathetic state of bypass then.[/quote]

How is the condition of this road ? When I had traveled a year back it was really bad and I took the city route to avoid the bad roads. Planning a trip to Aurangabad next week so wanted to check on the road condition.

[dpat17]

Originally Posted by AbhishekMushran

Planning a trip to Aurangabad next week so wanted to check on the road condition.

Pune -AhmedNagar section is in really good condition. Ahmednagar - Aurangabad setion is little bit bumpy.
I suggest you to take Ahmednagar Bypass. Road is in good condition. Even if Google maps recomend, do not go through the city anytime after 8 AM.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by AbhishekMushran

How is the condition of this road ? When I had traveled a year back it was really bad and I took the city route to avoid the bad roads. Planning a trip to Aurangabad next week so wanted to check on the road condition.

There is an update on the road conditions between Pune and Aurangabad as well as the bypass itself on the same page where you have posted this query. This update is as latest as last week. Please read:

Originally Posted by vivek95

nagar--pune is mostly on the smoother side. nagar bypass continues to remain in good shape from my last drive in june 2020.

[Hayek]

Wanted to check if anyone has travelled to Aurangabad from Bombay recently.



Google Maps shows three routes:
1) Igatpuri - Sinnar - Kopargaon (highlighted)
2) Nashik - Yeola (similar time to #1)
3) Chakan - Ahmednagar

However this thread does suggest option 3 from time to time. Wanted to get feedback on which option I should choose. Will be in a Tiguan starting early on a Sunday morning and would much rather drive on smooth fast roads even if the time is slightly longer.

Suggestions for the return leg (which will be on the Thursday before Holi) are also requested. Thanks all in advance.

Also wanted to check if Ajanta and Lonar are doable as day trips while staying in Aurangabad.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Also wanted to check if Ajanta and Lonar are doable as day trips while staying in Aurangabad.

Not quite. Lonar is about three hours away, and you'd spend about two-three hours there. Assuming you want to walk down to the water and explore; it is a fairly easy walk. Ajanta isn't in the same direction so Maps might take you on non-NH/SH roads to get you there. Best avoided. At Ajanta caves, you'd typically end up spending three-four hours.

Btw, I'm surprised Google Maps doesn't show the Malshej ghat - Nagar option, anyone travelled on that recently? Malshej ghat seems to be in good condition now.

PS: just before you reach Ajanta caves, there's a point where you can view the entire caves, don't miss that. It gives a spectacular view of the entire site. There's a signboard to give directions.

PPS: if you're returning late in the day on Thur, avoid the Chakan route. It'll be unimaginable misery.

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

PS: just before you reach Ajanta caves, there's a point where you can view the entire caves, don't miss that. It gives a spectacular view of the entire site. There's a signboard to give directions.

Any idea about the road conditions to Ajanta? Last I heard, it was pathetic.

I have an Aurangabad trip planned for this weekend. I will update my itinerary accordingly.