[sandeepsc]

Originally Posted by manonsong

Maybe time to explore another route, maybe longer but less traffic and better roads? Or is this a dream?

Mumbai has only four entry exits out of which two are Pune/Goa bound, one is Nashik bound and another one is Ahmedabad bound. Though you find any new alternate route for Nashik, still you will have to navigate through these over crowded entry exits points of Mumbai. Might your dream can come true when entire stretch of Samrudhi Express way is opened.

[RJ2285]

Originally Posted by manonsong

I have tried the route from Nashik-Trimbakeshwar-Jawhar and back via Manor but traffic from Manor to Borivali is terrible.

I am travelling to Nashik from Mumbai tomorrow. Would you recommend Manor- Jawahar-Trimbak route instead of the route via Igatpuri? Will the roads be in a better condition?

[dvl666]

Originally Posted by RJ2285

I am travelling to Nashik from Mumbai tomorrow. Would you recommend Manor- Jawahar-Trimbak route instead of the route via Igatpuri? Will the roads be in a better condition?

If you leave early from Mumbai, the regular Bhiwandi Padgha Igatpuri route is patched up and took us 4-4.5 hours to reach Nashik

[jigbarai]

Please update on how the route is now after you travel - both ways. Thanks.

[GTO]

The Mumbai-Nashik highway is the WORST highway I have travelled on in the last 10 years. And my travels include many cities / states of India. It is full of potholes, the traffic is horrible and travel times slow.

Avoid as much as you can. If you absolutely have to:

- Use an SUV / Crossover / MPV. This is not a road friendly to low-slung sedans, especially those with low-profile tyres.

- Leave early in the morning & beat the traffic. If you leave after 9 AM, you will get frustrating levels of traffic all way long.

I remember years ago, many of us enthusiasts would post about the pleasure of driving on this road. I myself used to prefer it over the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Not anymore. It is in pathetic condition. Driving on it is as painful as being stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic of Andheri. Am wondering if Samruddhi is going to replace this old Mumbai-Nashik road in anyway? I cant think of any other reason for this serious neglect.

[dvl666]

Went on monday evening and returned over the weekend.

The Mumbai - Nashik journey is still tolerable compared to what we had witnessed at the onset of monsoons. Major jams in bhiwandi before flyovers and at the end of bhiwandi since the road squeezes into a single lane and trucks block all lanes. After that it was quite smooth in terms of traffic but you had to be on the watchout for potholes. It was raining throughout the journey and we went easy considering it was night time.

We left at 5pm from santacruz west in evening and reached at 1130pm including a 60 min break at Starbucks Shahpur (Shubh Sagar).

The return Nashik - Mumbai journey was also tolerable, sans the nightmare of the ghoti stretch. We left around 815am and reached Mulund west by 1130am (no halts). There were potholes to watch for but since we were early, we were able to avoid major traffic.

The ghoti stretch took us 15 mins to navigate since I was in my T-Roc. A lower sedan would have taken double the time. See the marked area on map and enjoy the video link

The section of thane to bhiwandi is going to remain a nightmare till the end of the year for sure, could be longer.

If you can avoid traveling on this road, you absolutely should and take a train to Nashik instead. However, its the only option you have if you want to take your vehicle to go to Nashik / Shirdi / Samriddhi Highway.

[krackr]

Plan to go from Mumbai to Deolali which is close to Nashik, early morning today (7am if possible) in my Ertiga with 6 people including 3 senior citizens. From what I read in the comments above it seems that the route via Thane Bhiwandi - Shahapur - Igatpuri and ahead is the one suggested, though difficult at some points on the way (175 kms). However, Google maps shows the same time of 4.5 hours for the route via Manor - Jawahar and ahead for a greater distance (200 kms). So it would seem that the second route could be smoother. See screenshot attached.

Appreciate advice or tips here as to which route should I take. With a stop or two for snacks and bio breaks. Thanks.

[ada]

Originally Posted by krackr

Plan to go from Mumbai to Deolali which is close to Nashik, early morning today (7am if possible) in my Ertiga with 6 people including 3 senior citizens. From what I read in the comments above it seems that the route via Thane Bhiwandi - Shahapur - Igatpuri and ahead is the one suggested, though difficult at some points on the way (175 kms). However, Google maps shows the same time of 4.5 hours for the route via Manor - Jawahar and ahead for a greater distance (200 kms). So it would seem that the second route could be smoother. See screenshot attached.

Appreciate advice or tips here as to which route should I take. With a stop or two for snacks and bio breaks. Thanks.

Just did a trip last week on this road, better take the normal shahpur route, the potholes are patched up, one or two places there is road construction work going on, would suggest to leave early to avoid Bhiwandi traffic.

[krackr]

Originally Posted by ada

...better take the normal shahpur route, the potholes are patched up, one or two places there is road construction work going on...

Thanks, I did the same. The route was good all through except for a couple of places. Took the same route for the return journey, got blocked for 45 mins though on the way. This was at some kms before the Foodhiils foodcourt. Anyone taking that route better check the traffic beforehand. The world cup finals were on that day - and thanks to the internet connectivity plus the tabs that we carry, the family was equally worried about the outcome of the match as the jam.

[Dk_76]

I just made almost a 600 Km round journey from Mumbai to Trambakeshwar, Nashik, and Shirdi (December 21–23). The idea was to travel to Trambakeshwar and then use Nashik to push toward Shirdi. I regretfully chose to take the Bhiwandi route, which goes via Thane and Kalwa, having left Navi Mumbai (Ulwe) at roughly 11 a.m. Due to the expansion of the Mumbai-Agra highway, traffic till Bhiwandi toll plaza is intolerable. The cars were crawling. I travelled about 50 Km from my house in a startling 2.5 hours. Roads post that are good & are mostly even till Sarul (NH160). As usual, the Igatpuri Ghats provide some amazing & breathtaking scenery. Roads in the Ghats also have improved a lot. One must choose the SH from Sarul in order to join Trimbak. It's also a nice road to go through some beautiful scenery. This detour will connect the Trimbak-Nashik HWY. Fantastic hill vistas and pleasant weather may be seen at Trambakeshwar. Nestled between Brahmagiri, Nilagiri, and Kalagiri hills sits the temple. Fairly cold at night and in the morning the next day. It was a huge respite after hot and muggy Mumbai.

I chose to go from Trimbak to Shirdi via the Nashik route (around 125 Km). The road is nice, and there are several Dhabas around that provide some of the greatest regional cuisine. Despite the dense traffic in Nashik, I arrived in Shirdi in about 1.5 hours. Stayed at the Sai Mahal Hotel in the main highway only. An excellent low-cost hotel in Shirdi. Did haggle for a better deal than what was offered by other booking websites. The hotel's unique selling point is that it has an EV charging station on the grounds, though didn't see getting utilized. According to the hotel management, Shirdi has three EV charging stations, however, all save this one are non-functional for the time being. Finished Darshan in the evening itself.

For the return leg, I chose the Pune route over the Thane one because the traffic in Bhiwandi was so bothersome that I took a detour via Chakan to escape Pune's congested afternoon traffic. Travelled through Sangamner, Narayangaon, Lonavala, Panvel, Ulwe (around 250 Kms). On their way out of Mumbai, I noticed a large number of cars trapped in severe traffic on the Ghat Section of Lonavala (Mumbai – Bangalore Highway). Luckily, I didn't encounter the same issues travelling to Mumbai. For the most part, it went smoothly. Finished the full voyage in 3 days.

My Scorpio performed admirably as always, and the three days I had it passed rather quickly. After travelling the golden triangle (Kolkata-Varanasi-Lucknow-Agra-Jaipur-New Delhi and returning via the Azamgunj-Buxar-Aurangabad route), the car recently clocked 50,000 km. It still seems young, vital, and eager to go farther. A major trip from Mumbai to Kolkata via the south route (HYD-Vizag-Sambalpur-Kharagpur-Kolkata and back via Raipur-Nagpur route) is on the cards. Fingers crossed.

Happy motoring!!

[kalpeshc]

Any idea about what is the condition of the roads now and the best route to Nashik?

[Dk_76]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Any idea about what is the condition of the roads now and the best route to Nashik?

Hello, I'm not sure if you dwell in Navi Mumbai or in Mumbai. The best route, if Mumbai, is via Bhiwandi (would recommend you start early to avoid the dreaded traffic of Bhiwandi). The road till Bhiwandi Naka is bad to worse due to the expansion of the Mumbai-Agra highway. Post that the majority of the road is decent.

If you are in Navi Mumbai then travel via Pune(use the Chakan diversion to escape the traffic in Pune throughout the day). Expect good termacs here as well.

[Satkaj]

Drove last week up to Goti toll naka as took a de tour for Vallone vineyard.. Except diversions due to road widening, condition is decent. Surely it has lost its earlier charm. Keep in mind that there are speed camera’s at most of the junctions.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Mumbai-Nashik highway is the WORST highway I have travelled on in the last 10 years. And my travels include many cities / states of India. It is full of potholes, the traffic is horrible and travel times slow.

Must say, things have significantly improved since my last drive. Just returned from a Mumbai-Nashik-Chandon Vineyard drive. Surprisingly, I didn't hit one major pothole on the way to Nashik. The minute you clear the Bhiwandi bypass, it is more or less smooth sailing all the way. Not a driver's road like it was a decade ago, but not horrible either. Things are now acceptable. In fact, I quite enjoyed the 30 km before & after Igatpuri.

The single pain point is the Bhiwandi bypass, but we left early'ish to beat the traffic. Reached Sula Vineyard from Dadar in 4-hours driving time. And thereon, the drive to Chandon Vineyard is also enjoyable (+1 hour from Nashik). I took the Thar anticipating major potholes, although I could have genuinely gotten away with the 530d & its 18" rims too.

At the main Igatpuri junction, saw the new Expressway to Mumbai almost ready, with signboards et al. It looked ready to drive and a local told us the opening is on 4th March. Is that true?

Enjoy a picture or two.

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by GTO

At the main Igatpuri junction, saw the new Expressway to Mumbai almost ready, with signboards et al. It looked ready to drive and a local told us the opening is on 4th March. Is that true?

Thank you for the update on Mumbai--Nasik road. Yes, there is news around that another 25 km of Samruddhi Mahamarg from Bharvir to Igatpuri will most likely be opened to traffic on 4th March, 2024. However, knowing the pathetic state of affairs in Maharashtra since more than 10-12 years, no surprise if it's postponed by another 2 months for no specific reason !!