[SDM Photoblitz]

Thanks once more 9tMax .

You will surely be having gps assistance with you I hope. So bypassing shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Unfortunately , I have no proper GPS, except Google map on my phone and tab . But still, I hope, that i will be able to find SH38, when required.

And don't forget to update us about the condition of this route once you complete your journey.

Surely, I will do so, IF , I do take this route . But from the above information, I am becoming more and more reluctant to take the SH38 ! So, unless I find some very convincing arguments in favour of SH38, I am going to stick to NH5 .
SDM

[Unavowed_X9]

Originally Posted by SDM Photoblitz

Thanks once more 9tMax .

Unfortunately , I have no proper GPS, except Google map on my phone and tab . But still, I hope, that i will be able to find SH38, when required.


Surely, I will do so, IF , I do take this route . But from the above information, I am becoming more and more reluctant to take the SH38 ! So, unless I find some very convincing arguments in favour of SH38, I am going to stick to NH5 .
SDM

Absolutely. I have done this route numerous times with varying options to explore diversions at all times of the day. Nothing seemed sensible than sticking to the NH5. Thats what I would do, based on my experience. After driving the NH5 since ages, seems like it is the best option, in terms of time, driving comfort and zero mental hassle.
Warm regards.
Unavowed_X9

[sawan_dubey]

Hello Everyone. Like already discussed on this thread, we're leaving for Bhutan on March 5. We need some budget hotel suggestions in Vijayawada and Vizag. All we ask is for clean bed and toilet. Parking for our bike & safety is important. Thanks much in advance just hotel names would do, ill call them and make the booking.

[rkg]

[quote=SDM Photoblitz;3920888]
rkg, firstly Anakapalli is to the South of Vizag, but since we will be approaching from the north ( i.e. BBSR) I would like to know the exit point from that direction.
- 9tMax


From BBSR side, it is easy to locate the bypass. You will come across a flyover with clear marking as towards Viziawada. Don't take the flyover. Take left side lane that goes below the flyover. Just keep going on that. it will take you to Anakapalli. Keep in mind it is old tow lane road with truck traffic.

[SDM Photoblitz]

Firstly, my thanks to all the Team BHP members who have helped me to sucessfully complete my first road trip from Calcutta to Bangalore with my Xylo !!!
Secondly, sorry for the delay in posting the trip details . Actually i was, and still is, tied up with hundreds of works related to shifting base to a new and unfamiliar city (Bangalore).
But, here I am now , and below are the route info that I managed to gather. I have tried my best to keep my data reasonably acccurate, but have taken a few liberties in rounding up the figures and approximating to keep things simple.
Finally, i will try to reply to your queries as much as possible, but please understand, that I am in a huge mess with lots of pressing matters to be taken care of, so please consider lapses on my part !

DAY 1 [ 29th Feb 2016]
Salt Lake ------ Kolaghat[NH6] (0545-0645) = 1hr
Kolaghat ------ Kharagpur[NH6] (0645-0720) =35mins
Kharagpur ----- Jaleshwar[NH60] (0720-0800) = 40 mins
Jaleshwar ------ Baleshwar[ NH60] (0800-0840) = 40 mins
Breakfast Stop.
Baleshwar ----- Bhadrak[NH5] (0840-1000) = 1 hr 20mins
Bhadrak ----- Cuttack[NH5] (1000-1130) = 1 hr 35mins
Cuttack ------ Bhubneshwar[NH5] (1130-1200) = 30mins
Bhubneshwar ---- Rambha[NH5] ( 1200-1400) = 2hrs

Lunch and Night Halt at OTDC Rambha

Total Dist = 568 km(Approx)
Total Time = 8hrs. 20 mins.

The morning drive through sleeping Calcutta via the 2nd Hoogly Bridge was smooth. And so is the drive all along till the Jaleshwar border. Although we faced a rather strange mist and ground fog, intermittently all along the way till after crossing over into Orissa, our driver Anthony, who was a top class professional, hired specificially for this trip, from Bangalore, managed to keep a decent speed of 100 to 130 kmph. all along.
Point to note : there seemed to be absolutely no decent rest stops or eateries on this stretch, except Sher-e-Panjab at Kolaghat !
The Jaleshwar border slowed us down for approx. 10-15 mins. Although there was a huge pile of trucks backed up for upto 5kms, We managed to slowly weave our way through them to the check post and beyond.
We took a short rest and breakfast stop after passing Baleshwar, and then was off towards Bhadrak and Cuttack.

The road from Cuttack to Bhubneshwar had a few unfinished flyovers, where we needed to take diversions , but they were short and tolerably free of traffic .


We drove through Bhubneshwar and was surprised to find the going reasonably speedy, except for a few points, the elevated NH5 gave us a feeling of floating over the city !

Needed to refuel just after Khurda, and then managed to navigate into Rambha OTDC bunglow with uneventful precision, thanks to a few well placed road signs, and some homework with google maps .
But, just one HUGE let down . The Rambha OTDC has gone to dogs. I had visited this place some 7-8 years back and had a very enjoyable stay.
But, this time we were shocked by the pathetic management and maintainence of the place. This is not the place to go into details about
this issue, but I plan to take them apart on Trip Advisior, when I find time ! I just suggest my fellow BHPians to give this place a wide berth.



DAY 2 [ 1st Mar 2016 ]
Rambha ----- Icchapuram [NH5] (0715-0750) = 35 mins
Breakfast
Icchapuram ----- Srikakulam [NH5] ( 0750-0950) = 2 hrs
Srikakulam ----- Vizag [NH5] (0950-1100) = 1hr 10mins
Vizag ---- Anakapalle [NH5] ( 1100-1210) = 1 hr 10mins
Anakapalle ----- Tuni [NH5] ( 1210-1300) = 50mins
Tuni ---- Rajamundry [NH5] (1300-1413) = 1hr 10mins
Lunch
Rajamundry ---- Eluru [NH5] (1413-1635) = 2 hr 20 mins
Eluru ---- Vijayawada [NH5] (1635-1700) = 25 mins

Dinner and Night Stay at Innotel Vijayawada.

Total Dist = 643 km.(Approx)
Total Time = 9 hrs. 30 mins.

The road from Rambha OTDC up to Vizag flowed like a dream ! It was our curious observation that the further south we moved the roads, seemed to get progrressevily better. Although they were under the same NHAI . The scenery was beautiful and the Icchapuram toll gate was negotiated with even less trouble than the Jaleshwar one. We hardly stopped. Just had to slow down to 25kmph.

Had a very short tea halt after Icchapuram, where we mostly ate our packed foods, then went on till Vizag without any hitches.


Now came the first issue, whether to take the SH38 to Anakapalle or carry on through Vizag on NH5 ? Keeping in mind the advise of you people here, and specially that of RKG , I decided NOT to take the diversion.
I still feel that it was the right descision, but the situation of the NH5 inside Vizag city was very bad. This particular stretch, earns the distinction of being the worst experience in the whole trip ! We almost forgot that we were on a National Highway, and felt that we were on a daily commute to the Office ! Seriously, something drastic needs to be done here to rescue the pride of NH5.
Anyway, after Anakapalle things turned better, and we managed to hit our standard cruising speed of 130 kmph.


At Rajanagaram, just before Rajamundry, we decided to have lunch, and ponder our second descision whether to take the GNT road, over the Godavari 4th bridge, and Kovuru , to Eluru. But again, looking at the start of that road, and considering all your good advise regarding the situation of NH5 around Rajamundry, i decided to keep going on the NH5.
And ,we found to our delight what a good descision that turned out to be ! The landscape on both sides of the Godavari river was just fabulous. This is called the Haritha district of Andhra Pradesh , and we saw the reason for that. The land seemed to turn into emerald, right before our eyes ! Nurseries , and farmlands were all just shades of vibrant greens.
Many a times on this journey we thought if we were really in India or in some first world country, and passing the Haritha district is one such moment !
We made good time passing Eluru and entered Vijayawada in the late afternoon. and put up in Innotel on the ring road.


This hotel gave us the exact opposite feeling to the one we had at Rambha ! The place was very decent and had a grear resturant. But above all the cooperation and behaviour of the staff, and the manager left nothing to be asked !

I plan to post the third and final days report in a few days time !
Thanks and Regards .
SDM

[9tMax]

Originally Posted by SDM Photoblitz

We drove through Bhubneshwar and was surprised to find the going reasonably speedy, except for a few points, the elevated NH5 gave us a feeling of floating over the city !

Thanks for the detailed update and good to see that you didn't face much trouble at the WB-OR and OR-AP border.

Is NH5 an elevated flyover kind of thing inside BBSR now?

[SDM Photoblitz]

Is NH5 an elevated flyover kind of thing inside BBSR now?

Yes 9tMax, mostly it's like that, but there are still a few crossings where we had to wait at the signal like the city traffic. Specially while entering BBSR, i.e. towards the Northern end of the city .
SDM

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by 9tMax

Is NH5 an elevated flyover kind of thing inside BBSR now?

Not sure when you were in BBSR last, but I visited Bhubaneswar in October 2015. While traveling from Rasoolgarh towards Khurda, the original Rasoolgarh flyover on top of the railway line has been extended almost till the Vani Vihar junction. Soon after that junction, there are flyovers all the way till a little before Khandagiri Junction. Those will make your life easy over major junctions like Jaidev Vihar, Nayapalli, Boramunda etc.

The only hassle is erratic traffic when each flyover reaches level ground, because many try to take the service road from the extreme right, or some vehicles cut across in the wrong direction. Despite all that, I found traffic less hectic than Bangalore or central Hyderabad.

[SDM Photoblitz]

DAY 3 [ 2nd Mar 2016 ]
Vijayawada ----- Nandigama [NH9] (0745-0840) = 50 mins
Nandigama ----- Suriyapet [NH9] (0840-0930) = 50 mins
Suriyapet ----- Hyderabad [NH9] (0930-1050) = 1hr 20 mins
Hyderabad ----- Shadnagar [ORR & NH7] (1050-1130) = 40 mins
Shadnagar ----- Mahbubnagar [NH7] (1130-1200) = 30 mins
Mahbubnagar ---- Kurnool [NH7] (1200-1313) = 1hr 10 mins
Kurnool ----- Gooty [NH7] (1313-1420) = 1hr 10 mins

Lunch at Mantralayam Hotel near Gooty toll gate

Gooty ----- Anantapur [NH7] (1420-1520) = 1hr
Anantapur ---- Penukonda [NH7] (1520-1600) = 40 mins
Penukonda ----- Bangalore [NH7](1600-1700) = 1 hr

Total Dist = 841 km. (approx)
Total Time = 9 hrs. 10 mins.

TOTAL DIST FOR WHOLE TRIP(Calcutta-Bangalore) = 2052(approx)
TOTAL FUEL(Disel) = 210 Lt.(approx)
Therefore MILAGE = 9.5 kmpl. (approx)

TOTAL Number of TOLL GATES = 36
TOTAL TOLL FEES = Rs.2286/

The third day we deliberately started a bit late, keeping three factors in mind.
1) The excellent road conditions ahead.
2) Familiarity of our driver about those roads.
3) The practical shift in time due to us moving considerably to the west. ( Although India keeps a single time zone, it should have been broken into at least 2 zones, if either common sense or scientific sense prevailed in Delhi !)
Anyway, after a small confusion while exiting Vijayawada, we managed to hit the NH9 after passing through a very quaint little tunnel !
I heard a lot of praise about this road, stretching from Vijayawada to Hyderabad, and it should be sufficient to say that each one is absolutely
accurate. While there were 2 small diversions before Suriyapet there was never any inconvinence .

Refuelling near Suriyapet


We took just one rest and one fuelling stop, before Hyderabad, and managed to keep up a very good speed.
The Hyderabad ORR was something out of a motorist's dream ! It's wide , it's smooth, it's free of conjestion ! What more can I say, just this , that here for the first and last time our Xylo hit the 170kmph mark ! Just one caution, do be very careful in reading the exit signs, because one wrong turn or miss can result in a long and complicated correction.
But, we managed to do it accurately, and was soon driving down the NH7 towards Shadnagar and Bangalore.
This road was also in a perfect condition, and although it was uncomfortably hot outside, we were doing reasonably well in our
air-conditioned vehicle. One by one, the previously studied landmarks swept past us. Shadnagar, Balanagar, Rajapur, Mahbubnagar, Bhutpur, Musapet, then the Krishna River Bridge, and finally Kurnool. Except for one single rest break we did'nt stop.
It was 1300 hrs and we decided to push on and delay our lunch break.
So down went Veldurthi and Dhone, and finally after the Toll Plaza at Gooty we decided to both refuel and have our lunch.

Luckly for us, we also got the ideal combination of a very decent petrol pump and eatry just after crossing Gooty toll gate.

The 'Mantralayam Hotel' was a delight for tired travellers, specially on a hot day like the one we experienced. The food was excellent,the ambience nice, and with the owner, Mr. Pavan Kumar, himself attending to the tables, it was a very nice introduction to South Indian hospitality !
Refreshed in body and mind, we soon crossed Anantapur and reached Penukonda, on the Karnataka border. The sight of wind turbines,
was another new one for us, and which again reinforced the feeling of being in a first world country !
There was no particular delay on this border. Actually there is a real possibility that one may miss the crossing if not watching out for it !
The last part through Chikkaballabpur, Nandi Hills, and Devenahalli, was smooth and uneventful , except for the fact that after Devenahalli we
had to drastically reduce our speed, in order, not to fall foul of B-Trac (Bangalore-Traffic Police), and after the headlong blast through 3 days of National Highways, it seemed that we were crawling, and we had to look at the speedometer to convince ourselves that we were actually touching 80 kmph mark !



Haritha District of Andhra

Posing on the Vamshadhara Bridge

Rail overpass before Vizag

And the beautiful Beast that made it possible !!!

That sort of sums up the 3 day Odessey. It was more or less uneventful, and thank God for that, for this was no pleasure trip, but just a nessecary step in the process of shifting base from Calcutta to Bangalore. But maybe the lure of the open roads have hooked me a little, and so if circumstances permit, I may again hit the roads, and this time just for the joy of doing so !
And thank you all, once again, for your help in planning my trip ![
SDM

[9tMax]

Originally Posted by SDM Photoblitz

The 'Mantralayam Hotel' was a delight for tired travellers, specially on a hot day like the one we experienced. The food was excellent,the ambience nice, and with the owner, Mr. Pavan Kumar, himself attending to the tables, it was a very nice introduction to South Indian hospitality !
Refreshed in body and mind, we soon crossed Anantapur and reached Penukonda, on the Karnataka border. The sight of wind turbines,
was another new one for us, and which again reinforced the feeling of being in a first world country !
There was no particular delay on this border. Actually there is a real possibility that one may miss the crossing if not watching out for it !

Yes, the roads in this part of the country are much more pleasurable to drive on. If you were fascinated by the sight of few wind turbines near Anantapur, then just drive down on NH-7 to Kanyakumari at the next available opportunity. Once you cross Tirunelveli - you will be literally overwhelmed by the sight of wind turbines - hundreds of them extending as far as you can see on both sides of the road.
About the state borders - that's one mystery I have not been able to comprehend yet. Why only the border of OR with other states remain in such a horribly crowded state. I have driven across all the neighboring states of TS, AP, MH, KA, TN, KL and PY but have never come across such a huge pile up of trucks across any interstate borders.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Not sure when you were in BBSR last, but I visited Bhubaneswar in October 2015. While traveling from Rasoolgarh towards Khurda, the original Rasoolgarh flyover on top of the railway line has been extended almost till the Vani Vihar junction. Soon after that junction, there are flyovers all the way till a little before Khandagiri Junction. Those will make your life easy over major junctions like Jaidev Vihar, Nayapalli, Boramunda etc.

The only hassle is erratic traffic when each flyover reaches level ground, because many try to take the service road from the extreme right, or some vehicles cut across in the wrong direction. Despite all that, I found traffic less hectic than Bangalore or central Hyderabad.

The last time I crossed BBSR was in 2010, on my way to Calcutta. And that time there were no flyovers. We crossed the whole BBSR on ground level only crawling along with the city traffic. So this flyover was indeed a pleasant news for me. With another Hyd-Cal drive coming up in next few months, I am feeling so happy about this development.

[hillsnrains]

Hello BHPians,

I am planning a Bangalore - Podili (~50km away from Ongole in AP) trip during this weekend.
Regular route: Bangalore-Chittoor-Nayudupeta-Ongole-Podili

I got bored of this route and wanted to try different one. I took Bangalore-Madanapalle-Kadapa-Badvel-Pamuru-Kanigiri-Podili couple of months back. All went well till Kadapa and from there roads are not in that great condition. Especially between Badvel and Kanigiri road widening work (diversions because of work) has hampered my speeds significantly. So I do not want to take this route again.

Now I wanted to try Bangalore-Madanapalle-Kadapa-Mydukur-Bestavaripeta-Podili. Anybody have recently explored this route? Any inputs on Kadapa-Bestavaripeta stretch are highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[hillsnrains]

Bangalore-Madanapalle-Kadapa-Mydukur-Bestavaripeta-Podili

Here is the update on the above mentioned route (done between 24-27th March 2016).

Onward journey: Started @ 5AM from Whitefield and reached Podili @1.15 PM with 1 hour breakfast break in Madanapalle. This is the fastest arrival at my home in recent years. Here is the quick summary of road condition
Bangalore-Madanapalle: Surface is good till Chintamani (of course too many speed/back breakers) and after that surface is not too great till AP Boarder. From the state boarder till Madanapalle roads are ok.
Madanapalle-Kadapa: Roads are much better and one can maintain 90 KMPH speeds.
Kadapa-Mydukur: ~26 km toll road(30/- oneway) is very good
Mydukur-Bestavaripeta: Surface is decent except few bad patches (2-3 kms) and couple of diversions for the small bridges/culverts around Porumamilla.
Bestavaripeta-Podili: Road is very good with negligible traffic where one can maintain 90-100 KMPH speeds.

Return journey: Took the same route, with start 6.15 AM and reached Whitefield @3.30 PM.

Few important points:
1. No need to go to bypass in Rayachoti, as the traffic will be very less in town and the connection between bypass and main road is horrible.
2. @Kadapa, Please take ring road to bypass town, don't take old NH road through Kadapa town, as this pass through a railway crossing. We lost good 40 minutes due to mad traffic jam at the railway crossing.

[sawan_dubey]

[quote=hillsnrains;3937116]Hello BHPians,

I am planning a Bangalore - Podili (~50km away from Ongole in AP) trip during this weekend.
Regular route: Bangalore-Chittoor-Nayudupeta-Ongole-Podili

What is the best road to Chittoor from Bangalore? We are traveling on motorcycles to Vizag and further from Bangalore. Checking if the Bangalore - Kolar - Mulbagal route is better or Bng - Vellore - Chittoor route is better.

Advice much appreciated. Thanks.

[Landkruzer]

[quote=sawan_dubey;3946022]

Originally Posted by hillsnrains

Hello BHPians,

I am planning a Bangalore - Podili (~50km away from Ongole in AP) trip during this weekend.
Regular route: Bangalore-Chittoor-Nayudupeta-Ongole-Podili

What is the best road to Chittoor from Bangalore? We are traveling on motorcycles to Vizag and further from Bangalore. Checking if the Bangalore - Kolar - Mulbagal route is better or Bng - Vellore - Chittoor route is better.

Advice much appreciated. Thanks.

Kolar route will be a good option if you are starting from North/East Bangalore. Its a 4 lane road upto AP border and remaining 50 kms to Chittur is a good 2 lane highway.

While 4 lane highways (NH5) are good for faster travel, it will be too hot to ride in this summer and can be very tiring. So why not try the Kadapa route, if you want to enjoy a leisurely ride on tree lined 2 lane highways? The Madanapalle-Kadapa route is generally in good to excellent condition. (I drove on this road last year and it was in very good condition)

[nibedk]

Hi Team,
We are planning to drive down from Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar in two week’s time.

We have been on this route before as well in late 2014/early 2015. Those were leisurely drives with night halts at Vijayawada (onward) and Vizag (backward). Last time round we tried multiple options (taking state highways) as time was not an issue. We drove into cities when required for lunch/breakfast snack etc.

We are planning to drive this time directly to Bhubaneswar without night halt. We have earlier done more than 1 K kms before so are pretty confident about that we should be able to do it this time as well.

I will be travelling with family. My wife drives as well and our close to 5 year old daughter is pretty used to long distance car drives.

Few inputs I would like from fellow BHPIANs

1. Bypass for major cities if any (last time I followed Google maps). This is to save as much time as possible.
2. Best food joints for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
3. We will be starting between 3-4 AM early in the morning so that we enter Orissa before evening. If we can touch Berhampur around 6 PM it would be nice. We would like to stick to NH as much as possible unless and until the other options really save time and are safe.
4. HYD-BBSR route has usually been safe. Anything that we need to take care of regarding safety or has anything changes recently?
5. Worst case would be to stay back in Berhampur if it gets late due to traffic conditions or any unforeseen circumstances.