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Old 20th October 2008, 12:21   #1
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Kolkata to Puri mid november,guidance please

Mod Note : Please continue the discussion in this new thread. Thanks

I am planning a road trip to Puri and then possibly to Konark and then while coming back probably Bhubaneshwar too and around in the middle of November 2008.Actually the dates would be 13 Nov ( a holiday !) and back by 16th or 17th !

I have read the details on other travelogues especially Puranjoy's Kolkata to Puri and the wonderful write up by AK Roy (Bangalore-Kolkata which he did in 2006).

I need all guidance especially how the roads are after the monsoon and floods in Orissa recently.The BBSR-Puri road was washed away at two places this year.It would be of great help if HV Kumar comes on this thread and give his valuable opinion.Any inputs from any member would be vitally important for me.

The Kona expressway is in shambles after the monsoon but I have seen repairing work going on.Till Kolaghat the GQ is great,but the Kolaghat bridge is a HUGE headache,it is now reported that the bridge is almost on the verge of collapse.The traffic jam there is a pain in the a***.I am especially worried about two stretches,one is 50 km stretch between Balasore and Bhadrak ( it was incomplete in mid march 2008 when Puranjoy had made his trip,what the heck,it was worse when I drove to Puri in an Ambassador diesel even in June 2004 !) and the other is the stretch betwwen BBSR and Puri.

Please guys any help would make me most grateful.I would keep updating this thread as we plan and also I promise to put up pictures and write a travelogue when I am back.


Last edited by GTO : 18th February 2013 at 14:42. Reason: Adding link to new thread
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Old 20th October 2008, 12:47   #2
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Tirthankar who drove Bangalore-Cal recently found the Bhadrak-Baleshwar stretch very bad, and has advised caution - and ideally, the stretch should be done by daytime. I expect that by the time you travel, there should be some repairs done and you should have a better drive. Allow for 1-2 hours extra to drive from Cal to BBSR.

A friend drove from BBSR-Puri a week before the Jagannnath Yatra and he reported decent roads. So hopefully, you should have problems in the BBSR-Puri-Konarak-BBSR circuit.
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Old 20th October 2008, 17:13   #3
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Well, Tirtha gave the first hand info which is the latest. I am sure some repair work will be done by that time. You can take the trip.

My only suggession will be to start at 4AM so that by the time you hit Jaleshwar it will be early morning. With lesser traffic you can cover the bad section and reach Puri by 4PM (Had the GQ been complete you would have had lunch at Puri comfortably).

Abhi
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Old 20th October 2008, 23:41   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akroy View Post
Well, Tirtha gave the first hand info which is the latest. I am sure some repair work will be done by that time. You can take the trip.

My only suggession will be to start at 4AM so that by the time you hit Jaleshwar it will be early morning. With lesser traffic you can cover the bad section and reach Puri by 4PM (Had the GQ been complete you would have had lunch at Puri comfortably).

Abhi
The two persons I wanted most to reply on this thread has replied,isn't that wonderful?
Thanks AKR for the info.Do you have the link to Tirthankar's thread?I had read the Kolkata-Hyd he made earlier,or is it the same one you are talking about? When I drove the Amby in 2004 to Puri,I didn't have any bit of information on the roads,but there were plenty of roadworks going on for the GQ.This time I am informed,and probably apprehensive more for that reason!


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Originally Posted by hvkumar View Post
Tirthankar who drove Bangalore-Cal recently found the Bhadrak-Baleshwar stretch very bad, and has advised caution - and ideally, the stretch should be done by daytime. I expect that by the time you travel, there should be some repairs done and you should have a better drive. Allow for 1-2 hours extra to drive from Cal to BBSR.
Thanks Sir,for both your presence and advice.I plan to start quite early (don't know though that whether we will manage a 4 am start!) and cover as much distance possible in the morning.The only thing that worries me in Bengal is the Kolaghat bridge.Only a month back me and my family had to turn back after being stuck at a traffic jam at the bridge for almost 2 hours.We had earlier planned to have lunch at Sher-e-Punjab beyond the bridge,but mothballed the plan and had late lunch at Reliance A1 plaza!

Quote:
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So hopefully, you should have problems in the BBSR-Puri-Konarak-BBSR circuit.


-
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Old 21st October 2008, 00:33   #5
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btirthankar would be able to give the latest news on the condition of this road. I have travelled quite extensively on this stretch and sometimes the roads have been excellent and sometimes horrible, specially after the floods every year. One thing I would like to mention is since you are travelling for the first time is not to miss the Kharagpur bypass while going as it will save a lot of time. And also the road through Kharagpur is quite bad. To make sure that you dont miss the bypass you have to take the second left under the bridge at the Kharagpur turn. Hope that helps...
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Old 21st October 2008, 08:37   #6
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Thanks AKR for the info.Do you have the link to Tirthankar's thread?
WOW, you have not gone through the two most recent controversial threads. anyway the links are here.

Here you go
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...commended.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...s-nonstop.html

Suggest you to read just the first post only and dont waste time reading the replies as they contain everything other than route details.

Abhi
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Old 21st October 2008, 09:13   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackPearl View Post
One thing I would like to mention is since you are travelling for the first time is not to miss the Kharagpur bypass while going as it will save a lot of time. And also the road through Kharagpur is quite bad. To make sure that you dont miss the bypass you have to take the second left under the bridge at the Kharagpur turn. Hope that helps...
After the completion of the GQ it is now extra difficult to find your way for getting inside Kharagpur town. Just keep driving straight in the direction of Belda without bothering the flyover and you won't enter KGP. There is a nice morning tea joint called Roy's dhaba (no way connected to me!!) on the left just after the KGP exit.

Keep an extra couple of hours for Kolaghat. You might need only half an hour though, but be prepared for the worst.

The Puri-Konarak marine drive road was a silky smooth newly paved one a couple of years ago. Wonder how it is now. It' a lovely drive - I am sure you have driven there.

The roads inside Puri might be a bit confusing but there is a trick. If you get lost in Puri you will soon find yourself on Chakratirtha Road. I did exactly that to find my way to our guesthouse.

Knowing Joy when you are in Puri helps. If you want I can give you his number.

If the road condition feedback upsets you, go to Benares. It's literally a weekend drive now.
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Old 21st October 2008, 23:10   #8
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Thanks BP,Sudipto da and AKR for all the advice and suggestions.Will keep my eyes open for the KGP bypass.

@AKR: Will surely go through the links that you have provided.
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Old 20th November 2008, 11:26   #9
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whats the status of this trip? @ultimatechamp - did you go to Puri?
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Old 20th November 2008, 11:29   #10
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Quote:
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whats the status of this trip? @ultimatechamp - did you go to Puri?
Dont think so, daktar babu looks pretty engaged with baganbari meet

Abhi
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Old 20th November 2008, 12:15   #11
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i have done Kolkata - Puri - Konark - Kolkata last weekend

Road conditions
Kolkata - Kharagpur - good
Kharagpur - Jaleshwar - Very Good
Jaleshwar - Balasore - Few diversion, though road condition is good.
Balasore - Next 60Kms (10~15Kms ahead of Bhadrak) - Horrid Roads/lots of diversions (Low GC car should be avoided)
Good Road Starts upto Bhubneshwar.

good Petrol Bunk - One HP Bunk 10Kms ahead of Puri
and one BP Petrol Pump inside Balasore.

Petrol is Rs 5~6 cheaper in Orissa wrt WB.

And you would want to have a look at this thread before you begin
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Old 20th November 2008, 12:19   #12
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Forgot to add, Road from BBSR to Puri is in Good condition.
At one place about 20Kms from Puri there is a makeshift bridge, but that is no problem. (Only one vehicle can cross the bridge at a time)

Road to Konark from pipli is full of spead breakers. (but beauty of surrounding is amazing)
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Old 22nd November 2008, 16:28   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackPearl View Post
whats the status of this trip? @ultimatechamp - did you go to Puri?
No Sir,I didn't on that weekend because of workload and other commitments.Have planned for mid-December again.


Quote:
Originally Posted by akroy View Post
Dont think so, daktar babu looks pretty engaged with baganbari meet

Abhi


You are right AKR. Gawdd,I think I will think twice before arranging another before next winter.

@thebagchi : Thanks for the excellent update on current road conditions from Kolkata to Puri. I was aghast to read that in flipin Orissa,they asked for a Rs.800/ road tax. I have already said that in gmail,that am in with you against this atrocity. It has to be stopped at any cost.I spoke to a BBSR-Kolkata based Real estate promoter,who frequents between this stretch in his Dzire,but he was completely unaware of any such thing.
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Old 19th January 2009, 16:11   #14
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Is there any updates on road conditions to Puri-BBSR from Kolkata?

thebagchi,senindra ,both of you guys had gone to Konark/Gopalpur recently,is there any news update for travelling to Puri coming weekend (the 23rd-26th Jan)?

Any inputs from anybody would be so much appreciated.
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Old 19th January 2009, 16:23   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ultimatechamp View Post
Is there any updates on road conditions to Puri-BBSR from Kolkata?

thebagchi,senindra ,both of you guys had gone to Konark/Gopalpur recently,is there any news update for travelling to Puri coming weekend (the 23rd-26th Jan)?

Any inputs from anybody would be so much appreciated.

Well road conditions should not have deteriorated in 2-3 odd weeks I would guess. It was good back then. Yesterday 5 of my bulleteer friends rode down the same way towards Ooty and they did not complain of bad roads either.
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