[narayans80]

Originally Posted by autoweirdo

I stay on eastern side so can avoid traffic of crossing the city saves me atleast half hr.... I hope traffic would be comparatively lesser on Solapur route.

Yes traffic is definitely less. That's the reason I always avoid Pune and take the Solapur-Aurangabad route to Shirdi. I even made our in-house NH4 lover Parag a convert

Just that its a bit of detour for Pune as a destination. I believe there is a bypass for Solapur now, based on his update.

Just plan your rest stops. Barring Anand Vihar and Nandagokula, you'll have to either enter Hospet or Bijapur for food. Not sure how good the NH50 restaurant in Hospet is.

You won't have trouble with fuel stops though, those are aplenty.

[W@SIM]

travelled earlier this Month: NH48 toll from BLR (Bannerghatta NICE entry) to Pune is 1245 Rs

[condor]

All - please AVOID Sarvodaya veg which is at the south end of the Chitradurga by-pass. There is something fishy about the food, taste is negatively different and we have never seen such arrogant behaviour in any regular restaurant.

Originally Posted by W@SIM

travelled earlier this Month: NH48 toll from BLR (Bannerghatta NICE entry) to Pune is 1245 Rs

Toll prices have increased. Just did a BLR-Belgaum return trip. Increases are after Tumkur, between 10 and 15 per toll.

[vivek95]

Guys, did 2 round trips in my VW Polo on Mumbai--Belgaum--Mumbai over last 2 months. Road conditions are fabulous all throughout.

Pune--Satara--Pune is an absolute pleasure to drive now on the smooth 6 lane, neat lane markings and properly usable and reasphalted service roads that keeps all the local traffic away from main carriageways. The new builder SDPL infrastructure, Pune has been doing a great job in upgrading this road. Night time driving is absolutely safe too. Its sheer fun to drive on this winding 6 lane than a regular boring straight 6 lane. Beauty of Sahyadris ( western ghats ) alongside is an icing on the cake and on top of it umpteen good eateries.

I would strongly recommend "Maharashtra food flavours" food mall near Khed Shivapur, Pune for a stopover. Its not an exotic food mall like the ones on Mumbai--Pune Expressway but much better than that in terms of local Pune/Satara based food delicacies.

[prad]

Planning a Mumbai-Chennai trip next weekend. Plan to leave Mumbai around 6 and have a leisurely drive to reach Kohlapur around lunch time, taste some Kohlapuri cuisine at the wonderful Dehaati, and break the journey at Hotel Atharv - a budget friendly, clean and neat hotel downtown Kohlapur, with great service.

Plan to leave reallllly early the next day from Kohlapur - driving comfort is the aim. It is a 12 hour drive from Kohlapur to Chennai, via Bangalore. Have found that this helps me avoid peak traffic both in Bangalore as well as Chennai, which are the bottlenecks. This also hits the Hubli bypass when traffic is low.

I usually fuel up at the BPCL COCO pump on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway (after the second Toll Plaza on the expressway at Talegaon) - just enough fuel to reach the BPCL COCO Pump at Kognoli - which is in Karnataka where the fuel prices are much cheaper. The next fuel stop is the BPCL Neelamangala - though it falls on the other side of the road, and it is a long U turn to get there. This is usually 6-6.5 hours of driving, and a good place for a bio-break. Again - it helps fueling up in Karnataka where fuel is more expensive and this is the last COCO pump on the Karnataka side before you reach TN.

I usually reach the McDonalds at the HP COCO Pump at Shoolagiri - there is no drive through - but it is a good place to stretch your legs while your order is prepared and then I am on my way - reach Chennai in the afternoon before the evening peak. The last 110 Kms from Walajapet is usually busier and narrower - though after Kanchipuram traffic starts picking up. There is also a lot of contruction on this stretch and you definitely don't want to get caught in peak traffic.

I carry plenty of water and snacks - usually some nuts and fruits - for when hunger strikes. A good multiport USB Charger keeps all devices fed. I also carry sanitizers, lifebuoy soap, towels - just in case. A torch, tyre repair kit, tyre inflator, glass wiper, RainX, a first-aid kit and some old newspapers, a spanner set are in my boot all the time - so I normally don't pack anything special so long as I am not getting off the highway. There is a fuel log and clip on sunglasses lying in the dash.

I probably need to put together a better list of things to keep in the car - my other car additionally has a jump start cable, extra wipers, and spare Diesel (which is safer than Petrol - that is way I don't keep Petrol in the car)...

I normally do a steady 100 - set by GPS, as my car's speedo has a 5 Km error at that speed, and stay in the 95-105 range most of the trip. I have been stopped multiple times in the Hubli Chitradurga stretch, and then let go without a word when the radar reading showed that I was within the speed limit. I have not see too many radars recently though.

I used to enjoy staying at new places each time along the way - and have pretty much broken my journey at every single decent town - Satara, Karad, Kohlapur, Belgaum, Hubli, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Banglalore, Hosur, Krishnagiri - tried multiple options at each town. Finally, I settled with Hotel Atharv, and have been staying there for the past several trips - since I have not found a better balance of being cost effective, clean, and friendly. Apoorva resorts at Davangere is close to the mid-point of the trip and a very good hotel to break your journey. Claresta in Hosur is the other one I prefer.

I have even done Mumbai-Chennai or Chennai-Mumbai in a single day leaving early, and reaching late night - driving at this speed all through. But that was when COVID had stuck and I did not want to take a flight, or expose myself to any risk. But that is not a trip for a single day that I would recommend to anyone - though it can be done with proper planning, and you minimize fuel and bio breaks.

The scenery along the way is what I enjoy the most - after being in a concrete jungle called Mumbai. The Davangere stretch is the most beautiful. The impulse stop I do is between Satara and Karad - for some farm fresh sugarcane juice! And my USB has a collection of songs that I have been curating for over the last 30 years, and adding newer songs every year. These are the pleasures of the trip - and I am looking forward to the drive!

[abirnale]

No new updates than what members already posted above - just a new query: around Shiggaon, seen a lot of new cameras on median. Are they speed traps or just the traffic monitoring ones? There are two spots in the same section towards Ranebennur where the middle lane display overhead, shows speed too. The speed limits are 80, in some sections they are 100. So far on the eChallan, haven’t found any tickets yet for me. I was doing 110-120 in some sections of this camera stretch.

[W@SIM]

Originally Posted by prad

Plan to leave reallllly early the next day from Kohlapur - driving comfort is the aim. It is a 12 hour drive from Kohlapur to Chennai, via Bangalore. Have found that this helps me avoid peak traffic both in Bangalore as well as Chennai, which are the bottlenecks. This also hits the Hubli bypass when traffic is low.

I probably need to put together a better list of things to keep in the car - my other car additionally has a jump start cable, extra wipers, and spare Diesel (which is safer than Petrol - that is way I don't keep Petrol in the car)...

My 2 cents - Spare Diesel is not needed, its GQ with Pumps spread well across.
Secondly - avoid entering Chennai around evening time frame as loads of buses ferrying back all employees . (Not sure if weekend is holiday for them )

[VWAllstar]

Mumbai - Karad - Kolhapur is in an excellent shape. It was breeze driving down from Mumbai to Kolhapur yesterday. There was moderate traffic and I could reach Kolhapur at 12 Noon post leaving Mumbai at 06:00 AM.

2 pointers:

1. Double toll if you dont have Fastag or have no balance
2. Please avoid Dehaati Restaurant (recommended here as well as on google) The thali is good and well priced however would anyday prefer Padma Guest House over it. There are many small restaurants serving Kolhapuri Mutton, Rassa and Bhakri which can be tried.

[prad]

Originally Posted by W@SIM

My 2 cents - Spare Diesel is not needed, its GQ with Pumps spread well across.
Secondly - avoid entering Chennai around evening time frame as loads of buses ferrying back all employees . (Not sure if weekend is holiday for them )

You are right about the spare diesel - I have not used it even once in the 10 years it has been lying in the trunk. I should probably get rid of it - It has more been a psychological comfort item! Also the reason I do not have spare fuel in my current car

And Chennai peak traffic in the evening - horror - all these jokes about Bangalore or Mumbai traffic look absurd when faced with painful Chennai traffic at the end of your long drive. So I avoid 5pm to 9pm to enter Chennai. Usually prefer reaching by 3pm (which is what I am aiming this time) or alternatively around 11pm to 12 midnight - as it is so much better to get in, though you hit peak traffic in Bangalore if you aim to do that - so getting the timing right is a challenge, and it is the single biggest factor in your control to make it an easier drive!

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Mumbai - Karad - Kolhapur is in an excellent shape. It was breeze driving down from Mumbai to Kolhapur yesterday. There was moderate traffic and I could reach Kolhapur at 12 Noon post leaving Mumbai at 06:00 AM.

2 pointers:

1. Double toll if you dont have Fastag or have no balance
2. Please avoid Dehaati Restaurant (recommended here as well as on google) The thali is good and well priced however would anyday prefer Padma Guest House over it. There are many small restaurants serving Kolhapuri Mutton, Rassa and Bhakri which can be tried.

Thanks for the recommendation - Happy to hear about local favorites and to try newer and better restaurants... It will also be a nice walk from where I stay - will also help me meet my quota of walking for the day.

This is the other thing I recommend to fellow travelers - when you have a long drive, plan to do some walking in between when you get the opportunity - helps improve your blood circulation and your legs will thank you for it!

On the return journey - in just a few short days as I am traveling alone on this trip - I expect to experiment with a newer stop over - probably Hubli or Belgaum. This experimenting is again part of the fun in the trip - one would always be looking forward to what is new.

Lets see how the plan for the return works out!

[condor]

Originally Posted by abirnale

No new updates than what members already posted above - just a new query: around Shiggaon, seen a lot of new cameras on median..

These may not be speed cameras, but can be the battery for the solar panels on those poles. I did notice these, and checked with a couple of people.

At the moment, I dont think these are cameras. One other reason is that the stretch does have speed displays mounted across the 3 lanes, which even say Slow down / Thank you etc.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by prad

It is a 12 hour drive from Kohlapur to Chennai, via Bangalore.

There is no way to do Kolhapur-Madras in 12 hours in current conditions on a day drive. The best case is about 13-14 hours. You can't avoid Dharwad-Hubli, Tumkur-NICE-Hosur and Chennasamudram-Madras traffic. You can start 4 am from Kolhapur, but you'll end up in some peripheral Madras evening traffic

[kiran_aithal]

Did a Bangalore-Kolhapur-Bangalore last week. Some of the observations (annoying) to be aware of
1. Could see a few old potholes resurfacing on the Tumkur Bypass; esp while entering from Sira side. More to pop up in the coming days as the quality of resurfaced layer or work done a few months back seems substandard.
2. Few spots on Lane 1 and 2 of the newly done 6 lane of Chitradurga - Hubli road is uneven (kind of 2 valleys on each side of the lane) caused due to overloaded trucks and, may be, due to substandard construction. This is normally on the up or down ramps of flyovers/bridges/curves. At high speeds, passing over these sways the vehicle in unwanted ways.
3. 2 Wheelers - A decade ago, they would stick on to the shoulder. Until recently, they would mostly move in the left most lane or stick to shoulder. Now a days, they are on the left lane (no more shoulder movement) and venture into the middle/right lanes. This is quite dangerous, especially when vehicles are at good speed.
4. Availability of diesel - This might be one off or only to me - could not find diesel in any Reliance or Shell or many COCO pumps. Looks like pvt players are not loading the required amount to minimize the heavy losses they are facing. Not sure of the COCOs though.

[Capri89]

A timely post @prad. Thanks.

Mumbai-Bangalore-Chennai trip is in the offing sometime next month.
Will keep this as a reference.

Kind Regards

Planning a Mumbai-Bangalore trip sometime next month.
Is this an all-weather route ?

Since next month is a monsoon season any particular care to be taken on this route ?
What if caught in the middle of the journey with heavy rains ?

[narayans80]

Rain distruptions have happened, the most I remember is 2 days when Panchaganga overflowed and distrupted traffic. Traffic was opened on 3rd day at the most.

These are extreme deluge rains compounded over multiple days.

Originally Posted by Capri89

Since next month is a monsoon season any particular care to be taken on this route ?

Keep tab of the weather. If Panchaganga overflows, there is a possibility downstream Almatti would be affected. This happened in 2019.

What if caught in the middle of the journey with heavy rains ?

Mundane heavy rains are a regular affair. Its extreme events like 2019 that have to be watched for. There are detours depending on which place is affected.

In 2019, people were either holed up in cities like Hubli. Trucks were lined up for miles for 2 days. Others who knew what lied ahead, took detours like Chitradurga-Solapur-Pune or Hyderabad-Solapur-Pune.

Its a bit extreme to be even worried about it now, you can start checking a week leading to travel date.

[SSridhar]

Originally Posted by prad

Planning a Mumbai-Chennai trip next weekend. . . . These are the pleasures of the trip - and I am looking forward to the drive!

prad, that was a detailed plan that comes from experience. Hope you are in Chennai now. Do post updates on the route. TIA.