Team-BHP - Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur

Quote:

Originally Posted by allauddin (Post 3039809)

NH-17 surface is smooth now, no potholes, but there are few diversions upto mangaon due to road widening, I cannot recollect the exact location , as I was driving during night time.

I should appreciate the authorities for managing the diversions by putting up good plastic dividers, you can still maintain a good speed at these diversions.

if you are going from Mumbai to goa via NH-17, then you can use the chirner road as follows :
Vashi - Palm beach road - Ulwe - Chirner - Pen.

This route will bypass panvel , palaspa phata, karnala ghat. you will save atleast 20 to 30 mins.

if you have any doubt, see the attached image.

or you can use maps.google.com to map this route, you will have a better understanding.

cheers

Hi Allauddin,

thanks for the input regarding the faster road to Pen from Vashi.

I am intending to travel from Mumbai to Goa tomorrow. Early morning start and day travel.

I had posted on another thread for inputs about the road and trafic conditions but only got one response and that one did not really recommend the NH 17 route, which I have been wanting to take for the first time.
Since you did both the NH4 and the NH 17 routes just recently, what would you suggest? Would it be sensible to try the NH 17 route or would it be better to stick with the tried and tested NH4 path. I will be travelling in an XUV with wife and 8 month old twins.

If you do suggest that it is ok to try out the NH17 route, could you please enumerate the road and traffic problems and also any stopovers worth doing, including places to eat. I know that you did a night drive, but still!

Anybody with any input is welcome to advise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigger (Post 3051696)

Hi Allauddin,

thanks for the input regarding the faster road to Pen from Vashi.

I am intending to travel from Mumbai to Goa tomorrow. Early morning start and day travel.

I will be travelling in an XUV with wife and 8 month old twins.

If you do suggest that it is ok to try out the NH17 route, could you please enumerate the road and traffic problems and also any stopovers worth doing, including places to eat. I know that you did a night drive, but still!

Anybody with any input is welcome to advise.

Hi Trigger,

I love the NH17 route, and I used to take it in the annual monsoon trip to Goa. Have not used it in the last 4 years due to the faster and straighter route via Mumbai - Pune - Kholapur - Amboli - Goa.

NH17 is something one must do at-least once, but with 8 month olds, that's gonna be a handful.

Here is my 2 cents, leave from Bombay early enough, and drive in daylight, you should reach Chiplun around noon, halt at Riverview Hotel (used to be a Taj property once), they have good facilities and food. Replenish and start for Goa, you should reach Panaji by 4.

Which part of Goa are you staying?

On the way back I leave Goa after 1 and stay the night in Chiplun, leave the next day after breakfast, and reach Bombay in approx 6 hours.
The key to enjoying your drive on NH17, will be least halts, but at the right place. Have a safe and happy trip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigger (Post 3051696)

I will be travelling in an XUV with wife and 8 month old twins.

Hi Tigger,

As neo has pointed out , NH-17 is a road which we should do at least once to get the scenic beauty of the sahyadri ranges.

But at this point of time with small kids , I would not suggest NH-17, due to too many bends and curves, the kids will not able to sleep properly, I think in your case you need a peaceful smooth drive, which has been thoroughly discussed in this thread, none other than taking NH-4.

During my trip I took the Nipani-Sankheshwar-Sawantwadi route, which Hammer has also elaborated about the road conditions, so stick to this route for a comfortable drive.

Wish you comfortable drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhavtol (Post 3059171)

Hi Guys,

I have recently been to North Goa myself. I was there from 14th to 21st Feb and the Nippani to Ajara Route was in bad condition. However when i enquired at Hotel Goa Wase (its at the turning where you leave NH and start on bad road) i was told that the construction of the road will be starting in few days and will be completed by March.

Lets hope it does. :)

High hopes. I have been seeing this road in bad condition for decades now. Of course, only once I traveled on it in my car, but most ST buses take this route and whenever I have traveled (In last 40 years) I have not seen this road in good condition any time..

I heard it has something to do with Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute.:Frustrati

Hi All,

In the past six weeks I have done both the HH4 and the NH 17 routes between Goa and Mumbai. The Mumbai (Andheri West) to Goa (Siolim) trip happened on the 28th of February.

I would like to put my experiences regarding both the NH4 and the NH17 routes on the table. I personally had a lot of questions about both the routes since there was so much confusing information about them both. So, I am putting down the latest information from my side on both the routes connecting Mumbai with Goa. Please note that my destination in Goa is North Goa and I travel by an XUV 500, always with family.

NH 4 Route Via Pune Kolhapur - The highway is great, especially the Mumbai Pune Expressway. The road after that is also pretty good right till my recommended turn-off at Sankleshwar, towards Sawantwadi. I hate the crossing of Pune which has Traffic lights and loads of traffic, so too other population centres enroute, on a lesser scale. The road is excellent for the most part and one can maintain high speeds. The last 150 Km of this route after the turn-off, is ghats and winding roads. Time and money are both spent at the seemingly un-ending Toll booths.
For the turnoff: I will strongly recommend only the Sankleshwar turn off from under the bridge to Sawantwadi/NH17. The road via Gadhinglaj, Ajra, Amboli, etc. is the only one which is in a good condition at this time. No second thoughts on this one!

NH 17 Route Via Pune Kolhapur - This Highway via Pen, Chiplun and Ratnagiri is in a super condition. For the most part the road is like butter (or as the Punjabi Dhaba guy said to me "Top o Top hai ji")! Where the road gets bad, its just rough, nothing more. Definitely no pot-holes and I did not see any diversions of note. The road is well marked and in excellent condition. Very scenic and one can maintain a speed of about 100 kmph at most places. You do get caught behind some truck huffing and puffing up some ghat and have to form a small convoy behind it, until one gets to over take. I had a 6am start at Mumbai and found traffic of note only for the first 90 Kms, till I turned off to the left leaving the road to Alibaug. After that the traffic was not worth writing home about. All the convoy traps were also within this distance, but nothing much to speak off. The total toll I paid on the entire route apart from the Vashi bridge toll of Rs. 30, which is applicable to both highways was a mere Rs 15. Rs 10 at one place and Rs 5 at another. The road was also about 40 Km shorter than the NH4 route.
I followed the copybook routing from Andheri west via Juhu, Western Express Highway, Sion, Chembur, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Pen etc. No short cuts. The total distance covered by me was 562 Km and the travel time was 9 hours at comfortable speeds, with an additional 30 minutes for breakfast and breaks.

My Summation: If you want to Cruise take the NH4 route, but if you want to drive, then definitely take the NH17 one! The time taken on both routes is the same.The NH17 route is 40 to 50 Kms shorter, more scenic and about Rs 535 lighter on the pocket, in terms of Tolls. Economically speaking I saved a Total of about Rs 750 on this route, which includes the Tolls and 4 Litres of Diesel.

Economics aside, I loved the drive. So, I for one, am going to stick with the NH 17 route for the future, till circumstances change again!

Cheers!

Hi All,

Just a heads up. While I was entering Goa on NH 17, after Sawantwadi, I noticed a brand new Toll booth. Construction still seemed to be incomplete but the boards were up with the toll rates.

It was a toll both to levy Entry Tax on all vehicles entering Goa, excepting probably the ones with Goa registrations. I read it while passing and noted a Sum of Rs 400 for a Car (sorry did not note the Bike entry fee). I am sure that all the other toll booths are also being readied at other entry points to Goa.

So even though the date has not been announced, there will be a Toll on all vehicles entering Goa.

Barring a miracle, please be prepared to shell out money at the entry points to Goa, in the very near future. There is opposition to the idea so it may be put on hold, but as I said, the potential Toll points already exists!

Disclaimer: The Toll rates may be subject to change and so may the whole concept.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigger (Post 3061886)

It was a toll both to levy Entry Tax on all vehicles entering Goa, excepting probably the ones with Goa registrations. I read it while passing and noted a Sum of Rs 400 for a Car (sorry did not note the Bike entry fee). I am sure that all the other toll booths are also being readied at other entry points to Goa

What about the Daneli banda route?
From Goa . com
so will Karnataka and Maharashtra be able to charge GA cars toll when they enter their states too?

(Incidentally, the State government’s move to set up toll plazas along the borders has evoked sharp reaction from Karnataka. A Karnataka minister is reported to have conveyed his displeasure to the Goa government, warning that Karnataka could be forced to retaliate.
If taxes are imposed on non-Goan vehicles entering Goa, the Karnataka minister said Karnataka would be compelled to set up similar toll collection booths for vehicles entering Karnataka.
He warned that this would result in multiple taxation that will be revolted by the inter-state vehicles operators and the matter could land in the courts.)

I just drove from Bombay to Panjim in an Alto a few days ago for the long weekend. Both times I used the following route.

Bombay-Pune-Kolhapur-Nipani-Sankeshwar-Gadhinglaj-Ajra-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Banda-Panaji

I started at 20:30 from Bombay Domestic Airport and reached the Panjim Bus Terminal by 05:30, this included fuel stops and a 30 minute detour into Pune to pick up a friend.

The roads were amazing and a delight to drive. Zero traffic from Sankeshwar onwards and the Amboli - Sawantwadi section was pure bliss due to the full moon hanging low in the sky.

The trip back took much longer, started from Baga by 15:00 and reached Andheri (W) by 04:00. Includes about 1 hour for a detour to Pune and an hour long nap outside Kolhapur.