[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rajinibm

Planning to drive down from Bangalore to Mumbai tomorrow.Any updates on the condition of the roads -- little concerned after reading ' rjalihal' on the delays in this route.
Can fly down if it's not worth driving at present.

If you can accept the fact that you can get delayed for obvious or surprising reasons wherever road expansion work is in progress, along with the fact that rains may play spoilsport, you can drive. Given the present condition, there is simply no way anyone can give you a conservative estimate because no 2 drives have been the same for many here ever since the road expansion works have started.

If you still want to drive, better to leave at 0400 sharp (0300 even better) so will be able to tackle the bad sections when private (and bus) traffic is less.

The additional time required due to this can vary from 60-120 or even 180 minutes till Hubli depending on the time you will drive.

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

If you still want to drive, better to leave at 0400 sharp (0300 even better) so will be able to tackle the bad sections when private (and bus) traffic is less.

I am planning to drive to Belgaum in the 2nd week of November, hopefully the monsoon would have receded by then. Fingers crossed as nothing is more convenient than having a car when out of station.

[GrandTourer]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

If you still want to drive, better to leave at 0400 sharp (0300 even better) so will be able to tackle the bad sections when private (and bus) traffic is less.

I'm driving down from Mumbai to Bangalore on Saturday. Unfortunately I cannot fly since I have a lot of stuff, since I'm moving to Blore. My planned starting time is 0400 hrs.
Hopefully monsoon doesn't play spoilsport. I want to go through Pune and the diversions before the city folks are up and on the streets.

Will keep this thread posted with updates.

[rajinibm]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

If you still want to drive, better to leave at 0400 sharp (0300 even better) so will be able to tackle the bad sections when private (and bus) traffic is less.

The additional time required due to this can vary from 60-120 or even 180 minutes till Hubli depending on the time you will drive.

Instead of a early morning start -- will it help starting around 4-5 pm in the evening! I understand the drive time can vary but will a night drive be perhaps better than a day time drive.i don't mind driving in the night. What is the best time option apart from 0300 am. Thanks !

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rajinibm

Instead of a early morning start -- will it help starting around 4-5 pm in the evening! I understand the drive time can vary but will a night drive be perhaps better than a day time drive.i don't mind driving in the night. What is the best time option apart from 0300 am. Thanks !

Just before 7PM. Post this you will get to encounter night buses from Bangalore. Tried and tested. The worst time to leave at night would be 10PM. You will also face traffic next morning between Kolhapur and Pune. 7pm avoids all of these.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by rajinibm

Instead of a early morning start -- will it help starting around 4-5 pm in the evening! !

I've tried 13xx start from Bangalore and 12xx from Pune, and took 12 hours to Pune bypass with the diversions in place. However both times I did, there was no standing traffic like what's seen in the last 1 page.

[jkrishnakj]

I some how missed this thread and catching up on this after a very long time. I am off to Pune tomorrow and i'm already feeling a bit down that it is now going to take more hours till Hubli due to road conditions. I shall be starting at 4 am tomorrow and hope to reach Pune atleast by 6 pm. Shall update once i finish this trip.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

I some how missed this thread and catching up on this after a very long time. I am off to Pune tomorrow and i'm already feeling a bit down that it is now going to take more hours till Hubli due to road conditions. I shall be starting at 4 am tomorrow and hope to reach Pune atleast by 6 pm. Shall update once i finish this trip.

Do update on Satara - Pune stretch please. Been hearing it is raining cats and dogs and the roads are messed up. Few videos also been shared on Whatsapp but I do not believe everything share don that platform.

[vivek95]

Drove from Mumbai to Belgaum on 23rd October 2019. The entire route remains in its best condition albeit Pune--Satara that has some bad sectors ,say about 15% of the overall stretch. The diversions between Pune and Shirwal are in really bad state owing to the heavy rains but they were being repaired when I passed. Khamabatki ghat has some very bad potholes on the curves. But overall, absolutely nothing to worry as such, a bit more cautious driving and you are all good. My VW Polo managed it very well. It rained like hell all the way from Mumbai to Wai, the exit point to Mahabaleshwar ( I took a detour to Mahabaleshwar and joined back NH4 at Wai itself and proceeded to Belgaum ).

[jkrishnakj]

I reached Pune an hour back. Took me 11 hours. The diversions from Davangere till Hubli, though painful isn't as irritating as I imagined. It did take an additional one hour.

My Fastag worked super seamless on all tolls.

The Satara to Pune route was a welcome 3 lane at most places and smooth as well but the dark cuts and cracks in some areas ( right before the toll, near the place where DMart comes to our right and in many small patches till Katraj by pass ) take you by surprise. It's not that bad and doable but it does demand a lot of attention span.

[GrandTourer]

Originally Posted by GrandTourer

I'm driving down from Mumbai to Bangalore on Saturday. Unfortunately I cannot fly since I have a lot of stuff, since I'm moving to Blore. My planned starting time is 0400 hrs.
Hopefully monsoon doesn't play spoilsport. I want to go through Pune and the diversions before the city folks are up and on the streets.

Will keep this thread posted with updates.

Completed the trip yesterday. Took 17.5 hours. :banghead:
Updates:

Mumbai - Pune: No worries; Road is as good as ever. Light traffic near tolls. Other than that, smooth sailing. Do look out for the occasional deep pothole near Lonavala exit.

Pune - Satara: Really bad road conditions past Pune, not helped by the rain either. After about 50-60 Kms, the roads aren't that bad, but there was traffic

Satara - Kolhapur: uneventful, apart from a lot of slow moving vehicles.

Enter Karnataka: I was literally wondering "What happened to all the cars". There was no traffic whatsoever.

Hubli - Chitradurga: There were a few diversions, but since there was no traffic, and the completed road was smooth as silk, this section didn't take as long As I expected.

Chitradurga - Bangalore: This is where I covered up the time lost in traffic. Smooth road, minimum traffic. Was doing between 80 & 120 kmph constantly.

@parag - the list of eateries and trusted fuel pumps came in real handy.

[jkrishnakj]

I just got to Kolhapur on my way back to Bangalore from Shirdi via Pune. It's incredible how the last 75KM to Shirdi from Ahmednagar has remained horrible for decades.

From Pune to Satara it was quite bad, really bad at some stretches. The State Transport buses care two hoots about the road condition and they add to the mess too, throwing behind a cloud of dust after they finish overtaking you. The potholes or cuts in roads are quite deadly and you worry about your side walls.

Satara to Kolhapur was a breeze. Though two lanes the roads continue to be super smooth and helps drive at a steady pace without any worry of potholes or bad undulations. Got a room at Sayaji , Kolhapur and they were generous with an upgrade on Diwali. Can't ask for more.l for today.

I plan to leave Kolhapur tomorrow morning towards Bangalore. Hoping to have a relaxed drive tomorrow morning.

[ram87pune]

Hello bhpians.

I am leaving for Bangalore coming Saturday from Pune at around 3:30 pm. I will be staying for the night at Hubli. I am looking for good options for dinner break. I think I will have to halt between Kolhapur and Belgaum. I am travelling with my 3 yr old daughter. I have done the route till Kolhapur numerous times so I think I will reach Kolhapur by 7 pm latest.

Restaurants in Tawandi ghat seem to be a good option. Kindly suggest if I should be looking at any other options.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

Restaurants in Tawandi ghat seem to be a good option. Kindly suggest if I should be looking at any other options.

Amar - Only Veg just before you start climbing Tawandi Ghat is the best bet. Good food and clean rest rooms. Only thing to be careful about is that it is situated on the right hand side and you need to cut descending traffic.

Next one is stop Tawandi at Ajra Turn off.

[TravelMonk]

Many people seem to have mentioned diversions after Hubli (towards Bengaluru). Last time I did this route there were no diversions.
Can someone update me on where and how bad the diversions are? Is the road expansion work going on?