[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ShreyG

Hi
A question. I plan to go from Panvel to Hyderabad the next weekend. The highway cuts through parts of Karnataka. I am a bit wary of RT PCR requirements ( my car is KA registered ). My plan is to stay in Hyderabad (will have hotel booking for the same) for a day before driving back to Bangalore. Any advice on RT PCR requirements for this?

Generally the cops or the authorities have been considerate towards such cases where one is only passing through Karnataka and destined to states like Goa and AP/Telangana. So, in case you have booking for the accommodation, you should be all good.

Further, remember that authorities in Karnataka think its the big cities of Mumbai and Pune that are Covid hotspots and hence the vigilance is stricter on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway rather than Pune-Solapur-Hyderabad highway.

[Hayek]

Drove down from Bombay to Bangalore between yesterday evening and today. Had booked a stay at the Ginger hotel at Wakad on the Poona bypass - started from Bombay after work (a bit early) and reached the Ginger in 3 hours, with about 25 minutes being lost at the tolls.

Started at 5 am this morning from the Ginger. The initial sections of the Poona bypass had street lights, but these disappeared well before Poona ended. The Satara highway was generally in good condition with light traffic. Driving through Khambatki Ghat in pitch darkness was a new experience - you had to be careful but this was preferable to being stuck in traffic. Was quite pleased with my speed through Maharashtra. I was aware that the roads on the KA part of NH48 were better having experienced the stretch from Kognoli to Belgaum several times. But I was unprepared for how much better they are. There were some rough patches in the Belgaum stretch and the Hubli bypass is a fraud but the rest of the road to Tumkur was pristine, as good as any I have driven on anywhere in the world. Had a delicious breakfast at Vitthal Kamath’s about 30 km before Kolhapur and ate some Teplas for lunch. Didn’t spot any good restaurants in the South bound direction in the Davanagere region. But overall the journey was great. My RT PCR certificate was checked at Kognoli

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by ShreyG

Hi
A question. I plan to go from Panvel to Hyderabad the next weekend. The highway cuts through parts of Karnataka. I am a bit wary of RT PCR requirements ( my car is KA registered ). My plan is to stay in Hyderabad (will have hotel booking for the same) for a day before driving back to Bangalore. Any advice on RT PCR requirements for this?

Just carry the -ve report for safety. Me and dad crossed into KA on Sunday morning, cop didn't bother checking the report when we said we were going to Tirupati. Could be the same with you.

Zero checking on Andhra Karnataka border, during our drive from Bangalore-Tirupati-Bangalore. Plus most states require a negative report of upto 72 hours. So even if AP-KA border checkpost pops up, you should be good to go.

[xsrahul]

Thank you all for your kind suggestions. We made it to Bangalore, keys hotel at Hosur road after a drive of 17hrs. We had stopped 3 times for 20-25 mins and covered 1037kms in total. Thanks all for the kind suggestions. We had carried RT PCR negative report but no one stopped the cars at MH/Kar border to check.

The road condition is excellent in Kar side except A couple of detours and some roads which are being done so expect some bad patches. Nice road was good but no lane discipline being followed and everyone was overtaking from the shoulder.

Thanks all and look forward to the next leg of our journey tomorrow.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Hayek

My RT PCR certificate was checked at Kognoli

My friend drove down with family from Mumbai last weekend and crossed the MH-KA border around 2:30am, there were no RT-PCR / certificate checks, probably because of the time ?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by NPV

My friend drove down with family from Mumbai last weekend and crossed the MH-KA border around 2:30am, there were no RT-PCR / certificate checks, probably because of the time ?

Your friend was plain lucky and it is indeed due to the time he passed the border checkpost. At nights, cops know that it is mostly trucks and bus traffic. They also know that bus passengers would be checked by the bus crew itself as per their SOPs since pandemic.

I too had crossed the booth at 0330am last month and noticed the tents vacant and cops resting elsewhere.

During the day time the checking is very regular.

To say that there were no checks is not right. The barricades and tents very much remain operational throughout the day. At nights it's in "sleep mode" that's all.

[ninadtarambale]

Originally Posted by NPV

My friend drove down with family from Mumbai last weekend and crossed the MH-KA border around 2:30am, there were no RT-PCR / certificate checks, probably because of the time ?

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Your friend was plain lucky and it is indeed due to the time he passed the border checkpost. At nights, cops know that it is mostly trucks and bus traffic. They also know that bus passengers would be checked by the bus crew itself as per their SOPs since pandemic.

I too had crossed the booth at 0330am last month and noticed the tents vacant and cops resting elsewhere.

During the day time the checking is very regular.

To say that there were no checks is not right. The barricades and tents very much remain operational throughout the day. At nights it's in "sleep mode" that's all.

I crossed the border around 7 pm today. One of the lane was blocked & had posters all around which said RTPCR is mandatory to enter Karnataka but absolutely no checks were in place. Not a single vehicle was stopped.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Hayek

.. the Hubli bypass is a fraud ..

As accurate a description as possible ! Best avoided during peak hours, especially dusk. From what I hear, it's going to be this way for next few years. Going thru the city there may have been better. Have you checked the updates in earlier posts ?

How long are you in Bangalore ?

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by condor

Best avoided during peak hours, especially dusk. Going thru the city there may have been better. Have you checked the updates in earlier posts ?

How long are you in Bangalore ?

Thanks for the advice - will likely take it up on my return journey. Was in Bangalore just for the night - left for Coonoor the next morning

[rajivtelang]

Returning to Bangalore from Mumbai on 30th by making a stay at Belgaum on 30th evening. Any suggestions to avoid KA entry or travel on 31st considering the Bandh declared? I cannot drive continuously since will be with my parents and need to make a break journey. I can start on 1st Jan and reach on 2nd as another option. Need some help considering MH KA border dispute and disturbances. My ertiga is Bangalore registered.

[Ithaca]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Drove down from Bombay to Bangalore between yesterday evening and today. Had booked a stay at the Ginger hotel at Wakad on the Poona bypass - started from Bombay after work (a bit early) and reached the Ginger in 3 hours, with about 25 minutes being lost at the tolls.

Started at 5 am this morning from the Ginger. The initial sections of the Poona bypass had street lights, but these disappeared well before Poona ended. The Satara highway was generally in good condition with light traffic. Driving through Khambatki Ghat in pitch darkness was a new experience - you had to be careful but this was preferable to being stuck in traffic. Was quite pleased with my speed through Maharashtra.

Sir, my last trip to Kolhapur was pre-pandemic in 2019 and I have not done my mandatory Vashi - Kolhapur trips for past 2 years but plan to make that trip in Feb or March 2022.
Could you advise the condition of the flyovers on the Pune - Satara - Karad stretch of the highway. Are they still under construction (& one has to use the bypass) or are they completed and being used. Thanks in advance.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Ithaca

Could you advise the condition of the flyovers on the Pune - Satara - Karad stretch of the highway. Are they still under construction (& one has to use the bypass) or are they completed and being used. Thanks in advance.

Between Pune (Khedshivpur) and Satara, you will have around 3-4 diversions. However, most of the flyovers are complete. Satara bypass was fully functional since more than 2+ years now.

The issue with this section is not the diversions really. It is the road surface that is the bone of contention here. It is patchy at most of the places and broken in few but the former is what dominates all through this 90+ km stretch.

Beyond Satara the road conditions are fantastic and the south bound concrete carrigeway is holding up pretty well with no such complaints. So Satara-Karad should not be an issue at all as it never was.

However, sooner or later, even Satara to Kolhapur section will be expanded to 6 lane and work should start next year if all goes well. For now, its all good between Satara and Kolhapur.

In Maharashtra, one will never be able to experience good roads and enjoy the driving as it gets marred by misc traffic, especially the Pune-Kolhapur stretch with numerous 2 wheelers, 6 seater autos, sugarcane tractors and a lot more.

[normaltusker]

Need feedback from anyone travelling into Bangalore post the new night curfew. Were you harassed/stopped by cops for travelling after 10 PM?

I am planning to travel down from Mumbai to Bangalore on the 2nd Jan. While the plan is to be in Bangalore by 7:30ish so that we are safely packed in the house before the curfew hits, I am looking at the various scenarios to consider just in case I am delayed by the time I hit Bangalore in the evening.

[mankuthimma]

Originally Posted by normaltusker

Need feedback from anyone travelling into Bangalore post the new night curfew. Were you harassed/stopped by cops for travelling after 10 PM?

I am planning to travel down from Mumbai to Bangalore on the 2nd Jan. While the plan is to be in Bangalore by 7:30ish so that we are safely packed in the house before the curfew hits, I am looking at the various scenarios to consider just in case I am delayed by the time I hit Bangalore in the evening.

Night curfew is exempted for people travelling according to the news report today.


Yesterday we were on road till 10.15 pm returning from our trip. Didnt see any police doing checks except for a breath analyzer test at one of the traffic signal.

But the biggest headache is the 30-45 mins traffic jam due to flyover closure near Peenya-Jalahalli Cross. We took NICE road Magadi Road exit - ORR to bypass the jam and enter Yeshwanthpur. Plan accordingly appropriate to your destination.

[normaltusker]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

the biggest headache is the 30-45 mins traffic jam due to flyover closure near Peenya-Jalahalli Cross. We took NICE road Magadi Road exit - ORR to bypass the jam and enter Yeshwanthpur. Plan accordingly appropriate to your destination.

unfortunately for me, I have to go right where the jam starts! Will probably look at taking the service road and then the inner roads much before Prestige Jindal.