[vivek95]

Originally Posted by vivek95

[b]Guys, I have a good news

1. Looks like it's no more the stupid Reliance infra managing this project. I specifically saw new company boards - "SDPL infrastructure". On reaching Karad, googled up and learnt that SDPL is Pune based.

--Dr. Vivek

Guys, I bring here good news again. I did 2 more drives on the Pune--Satara sector ( owing to my Mumbai--Belgaum--Mumbai trips ) since the last update above. Presently driving Mumbai--Belgaum again, have stopped at Mahabaleshwar turn off at Wai phata. The new company SDPL which has taken over the project from Reliance is making rapid progress every passing week. I bet high, in another 5 months or so, this nightmare will end and we will all get to enjoy a breezy drive on the 6 laner Pune--Satara. The entire stretch is being revamped big time, including service roads. Reasphalting is happening at many places. Check out these sample awesome stretches.

The all new avatar of Pune--Satara--Pune








However note that, this revamp may not offer runway like driving experience like the Chitradurga--Tumkur or Hubli--Chitradurga stretches as undulations might persist. But surely the road will be consistently smooth and the overall experience will be much better than the above mentioned Karnataka counterparts, given the scenic beauty of Sahyadris ( western ghats ) in Maharashtra and the sheer number of awesome eating joints/restaurants scattered all along Pune--Satara.

Some pics of work in progress

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by vivek95

Guys, I bring here good news again. I did 2 more drives on the Pune--Satara sector ( owing to my Mumbai--Belgaum--Mumbai trips ) since the last update above. Presently driving Mumbai--Belgaum again, have stopped at Mahabaleshwar turn off at Wai phata. The new company SDPL which has taken over the project from Reliance is making rapid progress every passing week. I bet high, in another 5 months or so, this nightmare will end and we will all get to enjoy a breezy drive on the 6 laner Pune--Satara. The entire stretch is being revamped big time, including service roads. Reasphalting is happening at many places. Check out these sample awesome stretches.

The all new avatar of Pune--Satara--Pune

Guys, drove back Belgaum to Mumbai yesterday, made a short video of the revamped Satara--Pune 6 lane. This is how the entire 136 kms stretch will be upgraded in the coming months. It is absolute fun to drive on the smooth road with beautiful scenery all around

https://youtu.be/Qn6_1O1NZ1E

[Pam81]

Originally Posted by ShreyG

NICE road between Kanakpura Road exit and Nelamangala exit has white topping construction in progress. Traffic is being diverted to one side of the road. Timing would be key here. Since you will hit it around 9:30-10am, it should be ok. However, please do not take the city route. Goraguntepalya flyover is closed for repairs so, it is total chaos on that route.

Just updating here: I did take NICE road from Electronic City toward Neelmangala and encountered 2 diversions where concrete work in progress. Not heavy traffic at 10.00am around and it was eye shore to see impatient drivers using road shoulders to pass slow trucks with risky maneuvers. At one section, group of cops stood almost at the middle of the road for catching unmasked drivers! Oddly, cops must have been from nearby city limits doing extra booking in otherwise uninterrupted straight stretch with steady cruising speeds or I do not know if this is common these days in NICE road

[ShreyG]

Originally Posted by Pam81

Just updating here: Oddly, cops must have been from nearby city limits doing extra booking in otherwise uninterrupted straight stretch with steady cruising speeds or I do not know if this is common these days in NICE road

Well clearly they are motivated purely by public service. We all understand how important is it to mask up in our private vehicles where we mostly interact with people who are generally sharing a house with us. The risk is uncanny.
On a serious note though, it is the end of the financial year and the cops do have targets to fulfill. Generally NICE road is devoid of cops since even one small stoppage or barricade can cause a jam of some few kilometers.

[bong_voyager]

Hi all, I will be driving to Bangalore from Mumbai with a night halt at Belagavi. Planning to start around 1pm tomorrow from ITC grand central. Can anyone give me a realistic estimate of time required to reach Belagavi? Google is showing only 8 hours 12 minutes but is it feasible considering the two wheeler and tractor traffic as well as mumbai traffic on a weekend?

[normaltusker]

Originally Posted by bong_voyager

Hi all, I will be driving to Bangalore from Mumbai with a night halt at Belagavi. Planning to start around 1pm tomorrow from ITC grand central. Can anyone give me a realistic estimate of time required to reach Belagavi? Google is showing only 8 hours 12 minutes but is it feasible considering the two wheeler and tractor traffic as well as mumbai traffic on a weekend?

Hey @bong_voyager, the timeline that google maps show considers a constant average speed of about 60 kmph. From my experience driving down that track (mostly early mornings) you should be able to cover in 8 hours at best. Contributing factors being stretches where you will be able to maintain higher average speeds and then stretches after Satara ghats where it may get slow until Karnataka border.

[Yatra Moksha]

Originally Posted by bong_voyager

Google is showing only 8 hours 12 minutes but is it feasible considering the two wheeler and tractor traffic as well as mumbai traffic on a weekend?

Hi bong_voyager,
It took me about 12 hours(including breaks) from Borivali to Hubli with a 4AM start on a Saturday morning in December. I had to slow down on the Mumbai Pune Expressway due to thick fog, considerable traffic from Pune right up to Kolhapur and bad roads from Pune to Satara.
I'm now back in Mumbai & the Pune Satara Pune roads have improved significantly.

[goandude]

With the Chitradurga bypass opened, my favorite Breakfast place - VRL, just before C'durga has now been bypassed. Any suggestions for a decent place for breakfast and rest rooms around 200 kms from Bangalore? I do know there is a CCD just before Devangere but that is a bit too far for my breakfast.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by goandude

With the Chitradurga bypass opened, my favorite Breakfast place - VRL, just before C'durga has now been bypassed. Any suggestions for a decent place for breakfast and rest rooms around 200 kms from Bangalore? I do know there is a CCD just before Devangere but that is a bit too far for my breakfast.

Sai Palace may be an option between Sira & Hiriyur, remember reading (on a recent travelogue) that it's family friendly.

Parag also mentioned it on another thread here (Bangalore to Kollur Mookambika : Route Queries) along with some other options.

[adi_gt]

I did a quick run from Bangalore to Pune last week on Thursday. Started at 0420 from Whitefield and reached Ravet, Pimpri Chinchwad around 1600. Did two quick halts for Bfast at Apoorva Resorts at 0740am and lunch at Amar only Veg in Satara around 1400. Apart from regular fuel top halts - It was almost a breeze. The six lane section from Chitradurga to Hubbali is a dream (except for one minor detour due to bridge under construction). Regular two wheeler traffice once you enter into MH but nothing which should worry, have seen much worse riding on Bangalore roads/highways. All in all - a pleasent drive as I avoided the Gorgentapalya mess early in the morning.

[mayukh42]

Originally Posted by goandude

Any suggestions for a decent place for breakfast and rest rooms around 200 kms from Bangalore

You can try Upadhya Ruchi on the opposite side towards Chitradurga, just 10 kms before the new bypass starts.

Another option is Mysore Cafe, but it is on the old bypass after Chitradurga, so after the new bypass exit one has to come back on the old highway for 6 kms.

In terms of clean toilets, Upadhya Ruchi is better I think.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by mayukh42

You can try Upadhya Ruchi on the opposite side towards Chitradurga, just 10 kms before the new bypass starts.

Another option is Mysore Cafe, but it is on the old bypass after Chitradurga, so after the new bypass exit one has to come back on the old highway for 6 kms.

In terms of clean toilets, Upadhya Ruchi is better I think.

Thanks for the info, just looked at Upadhya R on Google maps and there is a turn off from the highway a few meters ahead, then come back and cross the highway to the hotel. Besides this, there aren't many choices around C'durga

[explorer09]

Originally Posted by bong_voyager

Hi all, I will be driving to Bangalore from Mumbai with a night halt at Belagavi. Planning to start around 1pm tomorrow from ITC grand central. Can anyone give me a realistic estimate of time required to reach Belagavi? Google is showing only 8 hours 12 minutes but is it feasible considering the two wheeler and tractor traffic as well as mumbai traffic on a weekend?

Well, about correct + the breaks you would take. We did a similar thing 2 weeks back - started from Borivali post noon and had lunch at McDonald's Kalamboli. We started from McDonald's at 3PM and reached Sankam, Belgaum at 11PM with a dinner break at Kolhapur. In our case, Borivali to McDonalds itself took about 2 hrs.

[adi_gt]

Originally Posted by adi_gt

I did a quick run from Bangalore to Pune last week on Thursday. Started at 0420 from Whitefield and reached Ravet, Pimpri Chinchwad around 1600. .

I did the return trip from Ravet to Whitefield yesterday. Started at 0510 and reached at 1600 with one bfast break and two fuel top up breaks. All in all a smooth ride, found the surface to be a bit more patchy in MH than the one while going up. Highways in India have improved a lot, wish we add more security measures into it now as I saw at least 4 trucks changing lanes without any signals, motorbike riders - talking with a phone tucked between the shoulder and neck. One feature which I didn't like in MH was this tendency of police to unnecessarily stop people after the toll to do some random checks (reasons unknown). I think in KA, this situation is a lot better. Unless someone commits a traffic gaffe or something which is a glaring mistake - you can't be subjected to this.

[ghodlur]

FYI. A new Shell Retail Outlet has opened up at Karad. This is on the Kolapur-Pune stretch near Karad exit towards Satara. I have attached a pic of the location, once I get the address will share.