Pune- Mumbai Expressway to NH-8 - what is the best route?

sam_edp · 27th October 2008, 11:03

Hello,

I plan to go from Pune to Ahmedabad in Jan 2009. After searching through all the travelogues and route / travel queries forum posts, I still seem to get no information on the best connecting route from the end of the Pune Mumbai expressway to NH-8. From my earlier trip on this route in 2007 and from my searches in Google Maps, I have found out the following two routes. However, it would be of great help if someone can let me know of the road conditions especially if they have travelled on these roads before:

ROUTE 1 : At the end of Pune - Mumbai Expressway, proceed on Sion-Panvel Expressway and then after crossing the DY Patil Sports complex on your left, take a right towards Thane, you will cross Dhirubhai Ambahni Knowledge City onto your right, go till you reach Ghodbunder road and at the end of Ghodbunder road, take right onto NH-8 from the FOUNTAIN HOTEL corner.

ISSUES WITH ROUTE1 : This is the route I took in April 2007. The road was in a sorry state with concretisation work going on almost everywhere. However, after going on this road for almost 10 to 12 kms, there was an area where I completely got lost.....there's an ADLABS multiplex on this route. To compound to the woes, complete lack of signboards made it a real pain. This road becomes all the more confusing while coming back. I took me about 2 hours to do this stretch at that time.

ROUTE 2 : This is a route I found from Google Maps but haven't travelled on it : Before the Pune - Mumbai expressway ends, there is an exit to NH-4. Taking this exit, we land up on a round up which is directly underneath the Pune - Mumbai expressway. Take a right from this roundabout to
proceed on NH-4. Follow NH-4 till you reach its intersection with NH-3. The most visible landmark to find this intersection point is that you will see a white metal overbridge on which the NH-3 rides. There is a left turn before this bridge that one must take which brings you to a toll post (as seen on the aerial map) and then proceed towards towards the left. After about a km (again, my understanding from the map), NH-3 moves onto an overbridge. We have to go underneath this bridge and take a right onto (SV ROAD or LBS MARG?)....some road...and then continue to reach Ghodbunder road.

ISSUES with this route : I have not travelled on this route. It would be of immense help if someone can let me know of the road conditions on this route. From the aerial view, this one looked better when compared with the one through THANE.

I promise a detailed travelogue on this route post my trip in Jan 2009.

I understand from our of my communiques with the moderators that HVKUMAR is a walking encyclopaedia on the routes. May I request HVKUMAR to help?

akroy · 27th October 2008, 11:56

This is hvkumar's territory and he has helped many travellors bypass Bombay while coming from Exressway and onto NH8.
Send him PM if you donot get reply from him.

Abhi

hvkumar · 27th October 2008, 12:35

Bombay Bypass Options: NH8 to NH4

Option 1: NH8 (Manor/Ghodbunder to Thane/New Bombay/Pune Expressway, via Airoli) to NH4

55 kms from Manor you reach Ghodbunder. This point is 28 kms after
the toll gate.

The indication that you have reached Ghodbunder is: Left is Thane 20 kms, Straight is Dahisar 8 kms, Borivli. You will see Hotel Fountain at the junction. You reach Ghodbunder after crossing the 1/4 km long River Ulhas bridge.

You will see a few signboards pointing to Thane/New Bombay/Pune, etc. before this point. Please DO NOT take any of those turns, take the left turn only at Ghodbunder.

Continue on the road from Ghodbunder to Thane (you will cross a toll gate 1 km into the road), which is 15 kms. Road is double road all the way.

At the end of 15 kms, you will hit Majiwade, the first messy junction (round). Just before reaching that junction, you will see on your left Vijay sales showroom, Ford dealership and on the right side the Cinemax Multiples/Mall. I live 5 minutes away from this point.

After crossing this small round (road very congested at this point), you will reach another confusing junction (with a flyover going across - left to right). There are 3 roads here at this junction - immediately left U Turn is Nasik road, immediate left is going into Thane, and straight (and then under the flyover) is your route (the road to Bombay). You will see a board saying Pune to your left - please DO NOT take that road.

Once you are beyond the flyover, keep going staright. Immediately after this junction, you will have another flyover which you must take - this one is 1.5 kms long, almost an elevated road. After coming down the flyover, the road naturally curves to left and you
will see another flyover - take that also - this one is a 1-junction small flyover.

Keep going and you will reach Bombay octroi nake - landmark is a large Fort-type gate across the road, lorries all over the palce and some muddy boards sayong Bombay - Gateway to India. remember, you are on the road to Bombay.

After the octroi gate, within 1/2 km, you will cross the toll gate (Rs 25 toll), and after that a traffic signal (this is Mulund).

After this signal, within 2 kms, you come to another flyover - DO NOT go on this flyover, go below and turn to the left (sign boards saying Mulund-Airoli Bridge, Airoli, New Bombay, etc, right goes to Mulund).

Turn left and you will reach another toll gate (Rs 25 toll). After the toll gate, you will cross the Thane Creek (1.5 km bridge). At the other end,you reach Airoli in New Bombay.

After crossing teh bridge, you cross a round and a signal, followed by a dip down to a subway in a T-Junction. Turn right (left goes to Thane, right to Kopar Khairne, Turbhe, Vashi, Pune).

This is also a double road but road conditions are not great - this is the Thane-Belapur road and you will see industrial units all over.

The most prominent complex will be the Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC Complex) to your left. Don't take any flyover on this road - you will go under one, and there will be another, but keep to the bottom).

You will go around 10 kms on this road - you will see Kopar Khairne local railway station to your right (opposite Reliance) and after that teh Turbhe railway station (Turbhe is a slum-type place).

Within 1/4 km after you cross Turbhe railway station, you will see another flyover (right going to Vashi) - keep going under it.

That is it, you have reached the main Bombay-Pune road. After Turbhe, keep going - Nerul, Belpaur (CBD, Konkan Bhavan, Park Hotel to your right) and Kalamboli which is where the Expressway starts - around 15/20 kms from Turbhe.

Kharghar is around 10 kms from the Turbhe point, after crossing Nerul and Belapur. After Belapur, Kharghar is the next flyover - you will see the Hotel 3 Star on the left side.

Option 2: NH8 (Ghodbunder/Thane to Kalwa/Kalamboli/Pune Expressway) to NH4

For those coming from Ahmedabad/Delhi on NH8, after turning off NH8 at Ghodbunder, travel 18 kms towards Thane till you reach Kapurbawdi Junction (order of travel - toll gate, ghats, river on left, water park on right, large Vijay sales showroom to right, Multiplex to right and Ford showroom to left). After the Ford showroom, you go straight
through a round till a point where you see a large flyover bisecting your road.

Turn LEFT here into the flyover's direction (straight goes into Thane city, right goes to Bombay). This is the Zero Km point. You are now on NH3 (Bhiwandi bypass) and you will see overhead signboards showing Pune/Nasik. Go this road for 2 kms till you hit a Toll Gate. Take care to turn LEFT exactly at the Toll gate (toll gate for straight goes to Nasik, toll gate for left goes to Pune).

Thane Flyover, 0 kms (Kms are cumulative)

Toll Gate, 2 kms

Kalwa Junction, keep going straight, 4 kms

Mumbra Bypass Flyover, 5 kms
This is a super bypass which flies over Mumbra own and is a great drive

Atlanta Toll Gate, 11 kms

Take a RIGHT turn at end of Bypass, 11 kms, after Toll Gate

Bharat Gears Factory to your right, 12 kms

Road to the right goes to Turbhe, keep going straight, 13 kms

Sheel Phata, Road to left goes to Dombivli/Kalyan, road to right goes to Turbhe, keep going straight, 14 kms

Toll Gate, 20 kms

Taloja MIDC Industrial area to the left, keep going straight, 26 kms After 1 km, you have 2 choices - first is to keep going straight towards Kalamboli 5 kms away and join the Bombay-Panvel road, but this will mean that you have to take the second entry gate to enter the Pune expressway.

Instead, if you take the right turn, you can take the first entry gate to Pune expressway

Turn off RIGHT after Taloja Industrial Area, 27 kms

Join the Bombay-Panvel road, turn LEFT, and go along the flyover, right goes back o New Bombay/Bombay, 30 kms

Entry to Pune Expressway, 33 kms

For those wanting to go to Goa on NH17, instead of taking the Expressway, go under the expressway bridge and turn right into the Panvel bypass.

The road from Thane is entirely 4-lane road and in good condition. watch out for
miscellaneous traffic and some nasty bumps though. You can save at least 45 minutes if you take this route, instead of the New Bombay route.

One word of caution, at the last Toll Gate, you will see toll fares for Dehu Road (near Pune), but please DON'T pay anything beyond the minimum fare. The Pune Expressway is NOT NH4, but if you wish to travel on NH4 (slower road), you can pay tte higher toll and go on.

hvkumar · 27th October 2008, 12:36

To add a few more lines, for those coming from NH4 Pune side, you have 2
choices:

Exit expressway at the Panvel/Thane gate (note that exit says Panvel/Thane, not
the earlier Panvel only gate) and at the Kalamboli junction, take the double
road towards Thane, and follow the directions given in the earlier mail. At the
Thane flyover junction, go under the flyover and turn RIGHT into the Ghodbunder
road. If you want to go on NH3 towards Nashik, join the Bhiwandi Bpass at the
last toll gate instead of coming towards Thane/Ghodbunder Road.

The second choice is to take the expressway to the end (instead of the
Panvel/Thane exit) and take the RIGHT turn to go to Taloja and go on to Thane.

For those coming on NH17 from Goa side, you can come on the Panvel Bypass
directly to the Kalamboli Junction and go under the expressway elevated road
(left goes to Bombay) and enter the Thane road (clear signages pointing to
Thane).

hvkumar · 27th October 2008, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam_edp

ROUTE 1 : At the end of Pune - Mumbai Expressway, proceed on Sion-Panvel Expressway and then after crossing the DY Patil Sports complex on your left, take a right towards Thane, you will cross Dhirubhai Ambahni Knowledge City onto your right, go till you reach Ghodbunder road and at the end of Ghodbunder road, take right onto NH-8 from the FOUNTAIN HOTEL corner.

ISSUES WITH ROUTE1 : This is the route I took in April 2007. The road was in a sorry state with concretisation work going on almost everywhere. However, after going on this road for almost 10 to 12 kms, there was an area where I completely got lost.....there's an ADLABS multiplex on this route. To compound to the woes, complete lack of signboards made it a real pain. This road becomes all the more confusing while coming back. I took me about 2 hours to do this stretch at that time.

ROUTE 2 : This is a route I found from Google Maps but haven't travelled on it : Before the Pune - Mumbai expressway ends, there is an exit to NH-4. Taking this exit, we land up on a round up which is directly underneath the Pune - Mumbai expressway. Take a right from this roundabout to
proceed on NH-4. Follow NH-4 till you reach its intersection with NH-3. The most visible landmark to find this intersection point is that you will see a white metal overbridge on which the NH-3 rides. There is a left turn before this bridge that one must take which brings you to a toll post (as seen on the aerial map) and then proceed towards towards the left. After about a km (again, my understanding from the map), NH-3 moves onto an overbridge. We have to go underneath this bridge and take a right onto (SV ROAD or LBS MARG?)....some road...and then continue to reach Ghodbunder road.

ISSUES with this route : I have not travelled on this route. It would be of immense help if someone can let me know of the road conditions on this route. From the aerial view, this one looked better when compared with the one through THANE.

I

Route 1:
Please note that you must not go straight towards Thane, since teh road will end up in a mess inside the city. Instead, please follow the instructions I gave in my earlier post on how to turn left at Airoli towards Mulund and come to Thane.

Road concreting is partly complete, condition is good, but traffic is slow. Remains the best route to bypass Bombay. Problem areas are traffic congestion at Mulund signal (before the toll gate) and also at Kapurwadi Junction at Thane (flyover junction where you turn left to enter Ghodbunder Road).

Route 2:
This is now the shortest and direct route, less confusing, but the post-rain road condition is terrible (update from 2 weeks ago). Keep tabs on its improvement, if it improves, preferred route. Traffic congestion can be expected at the same Kapurbawdi Junction in Thane (as mentioned above).

sam_edp · 29th October 2008, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Bombay Bypass Options: NH8 to NH4

Option 1: NH8 (Manor/Ghodbunder to Thane/New Bombay/Pune Expressway, via Airoli) to NH4

55 kms from Manor you reach Ghodbunder. This point is 28 kms after
the toll gate.

The indication that you have reached Ghodbunder is: Left is Thane 20 kms, Straight is Dahisar 8 kms, Borivli. You will see Hotel Fountain at the junction. You reach Ghodbunder after crossing the 1/4 km long River Ulhas bridge.

You will see a few signboards pointing to Thane/New Bombay/Pune, etc. before this point. Please DO NOT take any of those turns, take the left turn only at Ghodbunder.

Continue on the road from Ghodbunder to Thane (you will cross a toll gate 1 km into the road), which is 15 kms. Road is double road all the way.

At the end of 15 kms, you will hit Majiwade, the first messy junction (round). Just before reaching that junction, you will see on your left Vijay sales showroom, Ford dealership and on the right side the Cinemax Multiples/Mall. I live 5 minutes away from this point.

After crossing this small round (road very congested at this point), you will reach another confusing junction (with a flyover going across - left to right). There are 3 roads here at this junction - immediately left U Turn is Nasik road, immediate left is going into Thane, and straight (and then under the flyover) is your route (the road to Bombay). You will see a board saying Pune to your left - please DO NOT take that road.

Once you are beyond the flyover, keep going staright. Immediately after this junction, you will have another flyover which you must take - this one is 1.5 kms long, almost an elevated road. After coming down the flyover, the road naturally curves to left and you
will see another flyover - take that also - this one is a 1-junction small flyover.

Keep going and you will reach Bombay octroi nake - landmark is a large Fort-type gate across the road, lorries all over the palce and some muddy boards sayong Bombay - Gateway to India. remember, you are on the road to Bombay.

After the octroi gate, within 1/2 km, you will cross the toll gate (Rs 25 toll), and after that a traffic signal (this is Mulund).

After this signal, within 2 kms, you come to another flyover - DO NOT go on this flyover, go below and turn to the left (sign boards saying Mulund-Airoli Bridge, Airoli, New Bombay, etc, right goes to Mulund).

Turn left and you will reach another toll gate (Rs 25 toll). After the toll gate, you will cross the Thane Creek (1.5 km bridge). At the other end,you reach Airoli in New Bombay.

After crossing teh bridge, you cross a round and a signal, followed by a dip down to a subway in a T-Junction. Turn right (left goes to Thane, right to Kopar Khairne, Turbhe, Vashi, Pune).

This is also a double road but road conditions are not great - this is the Thane-Belapur road and you will see industrial units all over.

The most prominent complex will be the Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC Complex) to your left. Don't take any flyover on this road - you will go under one, and there will be another, but keep to the bottom).

You will go around 10 kms on this road - you will see Kopar Khairne local railway station to your right (opposite Reliance) and after that teh Turbhe railway station (Turbhe is a slum-type place).

Within 1/4 km after you cross Turbhe railway station, you will see another flyover (right going to Vashi) - keep going under it.

That is it, you have reached the main Bombay-Pune road. After Turbhe, keep going - Nerul, Belpaur (CBD, Konkan Bhavan, Park Hotel to your right) and Kalamboli which is where the Expressway starts - around 15/20 kms from Turbhe.

Kharghar is around 10 kms from the Turbhe point, after crossing Nerul and Belapur. After Belapur, Kharghar is the next flyover - you will see the Hotel 3 Star on the left side.

Option 2: NH8 (Ghodbunder/Thane to Kalwa/Kalamboli/Pune Expressway) to NH4

For those coming from Ahmedabad/Delhi on NH8, after turning off NH8 at Ghodbunder, travel 18 kms towards Thane till you reach Kapurbawdi Junction (order of travel - toll gate, ghats, river on left, water park on right, large Vijay sales showroom to right, Multiplex to right and Ford showroom to left). After the Ford showroom, you go straight
through a round till a point where you see a large flyover bisecting your road.

Turn LEFT here into the flyover's direction (straight goes into Thane city, right goes to Bombay). This is the Zero Km point. You are now on NH3 (Bhiwandi bypass) and you will see overhead signboards showing Pune/Nasik. Go this road for 2 kms till you hit a Toll Gate. Take care to turn LEFT exactly at the Toll gate (toll gate for straight goes to Nasik, toll gate for left goes to Pune).

Thane Flyover, 0 kms (Kms are cumulative)

Toll Gate, 2 kms

Kalwa Junction, keep going straight, 4 kms

Mumbra Bypass Flyover, 5 kms
This is a super bypass which flies over Mumbra own and is a great drive

Atlanta Toll Gate, 11 kms

Take a RIGHT turn at end of Bypass, 11 kms, after Toll Gate

Bharat Gears Factory to your right, 12 kms

Road to the right goes to Turbhe, keep going straight, 13 kms

Sheel Phata, Road to left goes to Dombivli/Kalyan, road to right goes to Turbhe, keep going straight, 14 kms

Toll Gate, 20 kms

Taloja MIDC Industrial area to the left, keep going straight, 26 kms After 1 km, you have 2 choices - first is to keep going straight towards Kalamboli 5 kms away and join the Bombay-Panvel road, but this will mean that you have to take the second entry gate to enter the Pune expressway.

Instead, if you take the right turn, you can take the first entry gate to Pune expressway

Turn off RIGHT after Taloja Industrial Area, 27 kms

Join the Bombay-Panvel road, turn LEFT, and go along the flyover, right goes back o New Bombay/Bombay, 30 kms

Entry to Pune Expressway, 33 kms

For those wanting to go to Goa on NH17, instead of taking the Expressway, go under the expressway bridge and turn right into the Panvel bypass.

The road from Thane is entirely 4-lane road and in good condition. watch out for
miscellaneous traffic and some nasty bumps though. You can save at least 45 minutes if you take this route, instead of the New Bombay route.

One word of caution, at the last Toll Gate, you will see toll fares for Dehu Road (near Pune), but please DON'T pay anything beyond the minimum fare. The Pune Expressway is NOT NH4, but if you wish to travel on NH4 (slower road), you can pay tte higher toll and go on.

Hello HVKUMAR,

First of all a thousand heartfelt thanks on such detailed instructions...in fact, I have started making a VISIO map based on the instructions that you have given.

I have just one more request...of the two routes you have explained here, can you also detail in the same way while going from Pune to reach NH-8? Especially, where I should exit Pune - Mumbai expressway, all the way down to Fountain Hotel? I know it may be too much to ask, but I promise everyone here a detailed map and a travelogue for this route that should put all further doubts to rest for these two routes.

Furthermore, I plan to leave Pune at around 3:00 AM in the morning to reach the Fountain Hotel junction by about 5:30 AM. In such a case, which of the two routes would be better? Will the Kapurwadi junction still be as busy as you have mentioned?

Regards,
sam_edp

hvkumar · 29th October 2008, 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam_edp

Hello HVKUMAR,

First of all a thousand heartfelt thanks on such detailed instructions...in fact, I have started making a VISIO map based on the instructions that you have given.

I have just one more request...of the two routes you have explained here, can you also detail in the same way while going from Pune to reach NH-8? Especially, where I should exit Pune - Mumbai expressway, all the way down to Fountain Hotel? I know it may be too much to ask, but I promise everyone here a detailed map and a travelogue for this route that should put all further doubts to rest for these two routes.

Furthermore, I plan to leave Pune at around 3:00 AM in the morning to reach the Fountain Hotel junction by about 5:30 AM. In such a case, which of the two routes would be better? Will the Kapurwadi junction still be as busy as you have mentioned?

Regards,
sam_edp

I also have the GPS-based Google Map for this route, will be happy to share it with you direct through email.

I have a South-North guide also, will search for it and post soon.

Lovely time to be passing through Bombay, it will be as lonely as a grave. No traffic problems. You should ideally come on the New Bombay route and you should reach Ghodbunder in an hour from Turbhe/New Bombay.

pkumar · 30th October 2008, 13:48

I travelled on the Option-2 mentioned by Hvkumar, couple of days back. This stretch has some horrible patches of road, basically from toll gate after Bhiwandi pass itself, and degrades much more around Atlanta toll gate. Through the many toll gates i passed, i was really wondering why am i paying toll for such roads. For few kms i was moving in 1st gear (sedan) & 2nd gear.
Took more than 1.5 hours from Dahisar to Expressway entry (started at 6am, minimum traffic).
Hope this is caused by rain and improves from now on.

I am not at all familiar with this route or many other inside mumbai roads (had to ask at every turn), but i was wondering if it is easier to reach Expressway using inside mumbai roads if one is travelling in the early hours or late night.

hvkumar · 30th October 2008, 16:36

Please find attached a Google Earth file which details the landmarks on the Bombay bypass from NH4 (or NH17) to NH8 (and also NH3 before that). This is the route from Pune expressway exit at Kalamboli via Kharghar, Belapur, Nerul, Turbhe (New Bombay), Kopar Khairne, Airoli, Mulund-Airoli creek bridge, Mulund, Thane Teen Hat Naka and Thane Kapurbawdi Jn onto Ghodbunder Road to join NH8 at Ghodbunder for onward journey to Ahmedabad/Delhi. For those desiring to switch to NH3 (Nasik/Indore/Calcutta), please turn off at Thane.

sam_edp · 31st October 2008, 14:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Please find attached a Google Earth file which details the landmarks on the Bombay bypass from NH4 (or NH17) to NH8 (and also NH3 before that). This is the route from Pune expressway exit at Kalamboli via Kharghar, Belapur, Nerul, Turbhe (New Bombay), Kopar Khairne, Airoli, Mulund-Airoli creek bridge, Mulund, Thane Teen Hat Naka and Thane Kapurbawdi Jn onto Ghodbunder Road to join NH8 at Ghodbunder for onward journey to Ahmedabad/Delhi. For those desiring to switch to NH3 (Nasik/Indore/Calcutta), please turn off at Thane.

Hello HVKUMAR,

I checked out the kmz file. You have done an immense amount of work on pinpointing all the landmark locations on the Thurbe-Airoli-Thane-Ghodbunder route and I can't thank you enough for this one.

When I was looking at the route on Google earth, the NH-4 -> NH-3 link road that ultimately links up to the start point of Ghodbunder road does look very enticing. But from your comments on the road conditions on this route and in addition, PKUMAR's comments on his travel experience on this road has convinced me enough to take the OPTION 1 route that your map points to.

I aim to add major stop points, fuel stations and eateries which are family friendly, all along the route till Ahmedabad including photos once I post my travelogue after my trip in Jan.

Regards,
sam_edp

p'arth · 12th May 2010, 10:07

Hi sam_edp

Can you update your experience of the trip. I may be going down this same route in few days till A'bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam_edp

Hello HVKUMAR,

I checked out the kmz file. You have done an immense amount of work on pinpointing all the landmark locations on the Thurbe-Airoli-Thane-Ghodbunder route and I can't thank you enough for this one.

When I was looking at the route on Google earth, the NH-4 -> NH-3 link road that ultimately links up to the start point of Ghodbunder road does look very enticing. But from your comments on the road conditions on this route and in addition, PKUMAR's comments on his travel experience on this road has convinced me enough to take the OPTION 1 route that your map points to.

I aim to add major stop points, fuel stations and eateries which are family friendly, all along the route till Ahmedabad including photos once I post my travelogue after my trip in Jan.

Regards,
sam_edp

hvkumar · 12th May 2010, 10:14

The Mumbai bypass (New Bombay-Airoli-Mulund-Thane) road is in good shape. Some more flyovers have come up to ford pedestrian crossings.

Check out this link for details HOW TO BYPASS BOMBAY via New Bombay - from South side - hvkumar | Google Groups

The other Mumbai bypass (expressway-Taloja-Mumbra-Thane) is also in good condition, but that route is more complicated.

neo45007 · 12th May 2010, 11:36

Thats a useful information.
Saving time in Mumbai traffic is any day gr8 !

ghodlur · 12th May 2010, 13:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by p'arth

Hi sam_edp

Can you update your experience of the trip. I may be going down this same route in few days till A'bad.

Pls note that the flyover work on Ghodbunder road at three different places have started and its already taking a toll on the traffic in the mornings and evenings. Pls make sure you dont get stuck in the jams. The best time to cross these points would be late mornings and before 6 pm in the evening.

bottle · 8th November 2010, 14:05

Just posting this question on behalf of a friend. Is there any way to travel between Mumbai and Pune (NH4) via 2 wheeler by completely bypassing the Expressway ? Apparently there is one turn near Lonavala Ghat section that ended up on the Expressway where 2 wheelers are not allowed. So he wants to know if hes missing some turn or going the wrong way.

27th October 2008, 11:03	#1
sam_edp Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 4 Thanked: 0 Times	Pune- Mumbai Expressway to NH-8 - what is the best route? Hello, I plan to go from Pune to Ahmedabad in Jan 2009. After searching through all the travelogues and route / travel queries forum posts, I still seem to get no information on the best connecting route from the end of the Pune Mumbai expressway to NH-8. From my earlier trip on this route in 2007 and from my searches in Google Maps, I have found out the following two routes. However, it would be of great help if someone can let me know of the road conditions especially if they have travelled on these roads before: ROUTE 1 : At the end of Pune - Mumbai Expressway, proceed on Sion-Panvel Expressway and then after crossing the DY Patil Sports complex on your left, take a right towards Thane, you will cross Dhirubhai Ambahni Knowledge City onto your right, go till you reach Ghodbunder road and at the end of Ghodbunder road, take right onto NH-8 from the FOUNTAIN HOTEL corner. ISSUES WITH ROUTE1 : This is the route I took in April 2007. The road was in a sorry state with concretisation work going on almost everywhere. However, after going on this road for almost 10 to 12 kms, there was an area where I completely got lost.....there's an ADLABS multiplex on this route. To compound to the woes, complete lack of signboards made it a real pain. This road becomes all the more confusing while coming back. I took me about 2 hours to do this stretch at that time. ROUTE 2 : This is a route I found from Google Maps but haven't travelled on it : Before the Pune - Mumbai expressway ends, there is an exit to NH-4. Taking this exit, we land up on a round up which is directly underneath the Pune - Mumbai expressway. Take a right from this roundabout to proceed on NH-4. Follow NH-4 till you reach its intersection with NH-3. The most visible landmark to find this intersection point is that you will see a white metal overbridge on which the NH-3 rides. There is a left turn before this bridge that one must take which brings you to a toll post (as seen on the aerial map) and then proceed towards towards the left. After about a km (again, my understanding from the map), NH-3 moves onto an overbridge. We have to go underneath this bridge and take a right onto (SV ROAD or LBS MARG?)....some road...and then continue to reach Ghodbunder road. ISSUES with this route : I have not travelled on this route. It would be of immense help if someone can let me know of the road conditions on this route. From the aerial view, this one looked better when compared with the one through THANE. I promise a detailed travelogue on this route post my trip in Jan 2009. I understand from our of my communiques with the moderators that HVKUMAR is a walking encyclopaedia on the routes. May I request HVKUMAR to help?
	() Thanks

27th October 2008, 11:56	#2
akroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Posts: 2,423 Thanked: 85 Times View My Garage	This is hvkumar's territory and he has helped many travellors bypass Bombay while coming from Exressway and onto NH8. Send him PM if you donot get reply from him. Abhi
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27th October 2008, 12:35	#3
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	Bombay Bypass Options: NH8 to NH4 Option 1: NH8 (Manor/Ghodbunder to Thane/New Bombay/Pune Expressway, via Airoli) to NH4 55 kms from Manor you reach Ghodbunder. This point is 28 kms after the toll gate. The indication that you have reached Ghodbunder is: Left is Thane 20 kms, Straight is Dahisar 8 kms, Borivli. You will see Hotel Fountain at the junction. You reach Ghodbunder after crossing the 1/4 km long River Ulhas bridge. You will see a few signboards pointing to Thane/New Bombay/Pune, etc. before this point. Please DO NOT take any of those turns, take the left turn only at Ghodbunder. Continue on the road from Ghodbunder to Thane (you will cross a toll gate 1 km into the road), which is 15 kms. Road is double road all the way. At the end of 15 kms, you will hit Majiwade, the first messy junction (round). Just before reaching that junction, you will see on your left Vijay sales showroom, Ford dealership and on the right side the Cinemax Multiples/Mall. I live 5 minutes away from this point. After crossing this small round (road very congested at this point), you will reach another confusing junction (with a flyover going across - left to right). There are 3 roads here at this junction - immediately left U Turn is Nasik road, immediate left is going into Thane, and straight (and then under the flyover) is your route (the road to Bombay). You will see a board saying Pune to your left - please DO NOT take that road. Once you are beyond the flyover, keep going staright. Immediately after this junction, you will have another flyover which you must take - this one is 1.5 kms long, almost an elevated road. After coming down the flyover, the road naturally curves to left and you will see another flyover - take that also - this one is a 1-junction small flyover. Keep going and you will reach Bombay octroi nake - landmark is a large Fort-type gate across the road, lorries all over the palce and some muddy boards sayong Bombay - Gateway to India. remember, you are on the road to Bombay. After the octroi gate, within 1/2 km, you will cross the toll gate (Rs 25 toll), and after that a traffic signal (this is Mulund). After this signal, within 2 kms, you come to another flyover - DO NOT go on this flyover, go below and turn to the left (sign boards saying Mulund-Airoli Bridge, Airoli, New Bombay, etc, right goes to Mulund). Turn left and you will reach another toll gate (Rs 25 toll). After the toll gate, you will cross the Thane Creek (1.5 km bridge). At the other end,you reach Airoli in New Bombay. After crossing teh bridge, you cross a round and a signal, followed by a dip down to a subway in a T-Junction. Turn right (left goes to Thane, right to Kopar Khairne, Turbhe, Vashi, Pune). This is also a double road but road conditions are not great - this is the Thane-Belapur road and you will see industrial units all over. The most prominent complex will be the Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC Complex) to your left. Don't take any flyover on this road - you will go under one, and there will be another, but keep to the bottom). You will go around 10 kms on this road - you will see Kopar Khairne local railway station to your right (opposite Reliance) and after that teh Turbhe railway station (Turbhe is a slum-type place). Within 1/4 km after you cross Turbhe railway station, you will see another flyover (right going to Vashi) - keep going under it. That is it, you have reached the main Bombay-Pune road. After Turbhe, keep going - Nerul, Belpaur (CBD, Konkan Bhavan, Park Hotel to your right) and Kalamboli which is where the Expressway starts - around 15/20 kms from Turbhe. Kharghar is around 10 kms from the Turbhe point, after crossing Nerul and Belapur. After Belapur, Kharghar is the next flyover - you will see the Hotel 3 Star on the left side. Option 2: NH8 (Ghodbunder/Thane to Kalwa/Kalamboli/Pune Expressway) to NH4 For those coming from Ahmedabad/Delhi on NH8, after turning off NH8 at Ghodbunder, travel 18 kms towards Thane till you reach Kapurbawdi Junction (order of travel - toll gate, ghats, river on left, water park on right, large Vijay sales showroom to right, Multiplex to right and Ford showroom to left). After the Ford showroom, you go straight through a round till a point where you see a large flyover bisecting your road. Turn LEFT here into the flyover's direction (straight goes into Thane city, right goes to Bombay). This is the Zero Km point. You are now on NH3 (Bhiwandi bypass) and you will see overhead signboards showing Pune/Nasik. Go this road for 2 kms till you hit a Toll Gate. Take care to turn LEFT exactly at the Toll gate (toll gate for straight goes to Nasik, toll gate for left goes to Pune). Thane Flyover, 0 kms (Kms are cumulative) Toll Gate, 2 kms Kalwa Junction, keep going straight, 4 kms Mumbra Bypass Flyover, 5 kms This is a super bypass which flies over Mumbra own and is a great drive Atlanta Toll Gate, 11 kms Take a RIGHT turn at end of Bypass, 11 kms, after Toll Gate Bharat Gears Factory to your right, 12 kms Road to the right goes to Turbhe, keep going straight, 13 kms Sheel Phata, Road to left goes to Dombivli/Kalyan, road to right goes to Turbhe, keep going straight, 14 kms Toll Gate, 20 kms Taloja MIDC Industrial area to the left, keep going straight, 26 kms After 1 km, you have 2 choices - first is to keep going straight towards Kalamboli 5 kms away and join the Bombay-Panvel road, but this will mean that you have to take the second entry gate to enter the Pune expressway. Instead, if you take the right turn, you can take the first entry gate to Pune expressway Turn off RIGHT after Taloja Industrial Area, 27 kms Join the Bombay-Panvel road, turn LEFT, and go along the flyover, right goes back o New Bombay/Bombay, 30 kms Entry to Pune Expressway, 33 kms For those wanting to go to Goa on NH17, instead of taking the Expressway, go under the expressway bridge and turn right into the Panvel bypass. The road from Thane is entirely 4-lane road and in good condition. watch out for miscellaneous traffic and some nasty bumps though. You can save at least 45 minutes if you take this route, instead of the New Bombay route. One word of caution, at the last Toll Gate, you will see toll fares for Dehu Road (near Pune), but please DON'T pay anything beyond the minimum fare. The Pune Expressway is NOT NH4, but if you wish to travel on NH4 (slower road), you can pay tte higher toll and go on.
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27th October 2008, 12:36	#4
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	To add a few more lines, for those coming from NH4 Pune side, you have 2 choices: Exit expressway at the Panvel/Thane gate (note that exit says Panvel/Thane, not the earlier Panvel only gate) and at the Kalamboli junction, take the double road towards Thane, and follow the directions given in the earlier mail. At the Thane flyover junction, go under the flyover and turn RIGHT into the Ghodbunder road. If you want to go on NH3 towards Nashik, join the Bhiwandi Bpass at the last toll gate instead of coming towards Thane/Ghodbunder Road. The second choice is to take the expressway to the end (instead of the Panvel/Thane exit) and take the RIGHT turn to go to Taloja and go on to Thane. For those coming on NH17 from Goa side, you can come on the Panvel Bypass directly to the Kalamboli Junction and go under the expressway elevated road (left goes to Bombay) and enter the Thane road (clear signages pointing to Thane).
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30th October 2008, 13:48	#8
pkumar BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: bangalore Posts: 181 Thanked: 6 Times	I travelled on the Option-2 mentioned by Hvkumar, couple of days back. This stretch has some horrible patches of road, basically from toll gate after Bhiwandi pass itself, and degrades much more around Atlanta toll gate. Through the many toll gates i passed, i was really wondering why am i paying toll for such roads. For few kms i was moving in 1st gear (sedan) & 2nd gear. Took more than 1.5 hours from Dahisar to Expressway entry (started at 6am, minimum traffic). Hope this is caused by rain and improves from now on. I am not at all familiar with this route or many other inside mumbai roads (had to ask at every turn), but i was wondering if it is easier to reach Expressway using inside mumbai roads if one is travelling in the early hours or late night.
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12th May 2010, 10:14	#12
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	The Mumbai bypass (New Bombay-Airoli-Mulund-Thane) road is in good shape. Some more flyovers have come up to ford pedestrian crossings. Check out this link for details HOW TO BYPASS BOMBAY via New Bombay - from South side - hvkumar \| Google Groups The other Mumbai bypass (expressway-Taloja-Mumbra-Thane) is also in good condition, but that route is more complicated.
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12th May 2010, 11:36	#13
neo45007 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 226 Thanked: 33 Times	Thanks Thats a useful information. Saving time in Mumbai traffic is any day gr8 !
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8th November 2010, 14:05	#15
bottle Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,634 Thanked: 274 Times View My Garage	Just posting this question on behalf of a friend. Is there any way to travel between Mumbai and Pune (NH4) via 2 wheeler by completely bypassing the Expressway ? Apparently there is one turn near Lonavala Ghat section that ended up on the Expressway where 2 wheelers are not allowed. So he wants to know if hes missing some turn or going the wrong way.
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