[LongDrive lover]

Originally Posted by explorer09

Nice idea. If i am not wrong, we have a thread for Accommodation updates wherein people keep putting in updates for hotels/resorts. We could have a similar thread for Road updates wherein we agree on some format and keep putting in updates about the road conditions and route taken after each road trip.

Regards,
Sandeep

I too think that it'd be very useful if threads about major routes/ highways could be started and whosoever travels on a particular highway/route can add in the relevant thread. Though still there would exist need to seek suggestions for specific destinations/ routes one wants to take. But, at least for very popular/commonly traveled routes, some common threads could be run which will be a rich source of all relevant roads updates at one place. I think there are already few such threads like Current conditions of road of Kerala.

What say you all members !

[akroy]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Roads: The section between Nelamangala to somewhere around Hubli BP is a huge pain. In many places (I'll give the exact sections later - as I corroborate with the toll receipts) there is less of road and more of potholes - plus you pay for toll.

Will try to post a detailed report later.

Nelamangala - Hubli is like more than 400km. Pls narrow it down to Chitradurga to Haveri section with some bad sections which has been there for some years now.

Otherwise Tumkur - Sira - Chitradurga and Haveri - Hubli and very good and fast stretches.

Abhi

[paragsachania]

Passing Tumkur is now a little easier than before - Thanks to the opened bridges.

Chitradurga too has opened bridges for traffic and a lot is better now. One needn't pass over those speedbreakers near that school or the narrow passage next to the bridge as before.

After Davanagere, one more bridge has been opened (Forgot the place) and this too makes life easier.

The two Railway crossings remain a heritage site and nothing seems to have changed this mess and the saga continues. This is where is the whole thumbs down factor of the bad stretch.

I had started at 12PM from Bangalore and was in Kolhapur Mc Donalds around 10PM thinking that I might not be a victim of those 2 and 3 wheelers, Tata Aces, Traxes and MSRTC buses and also the private 4 wheeler traffic and would sail smoothly to Pune. But, there was no difference apart from the missing 2,3 wheelers and traxes. Traffic was trebled from Kolhapur and at every toll gate I spent at least 10 minutes.

A private bus had rear-ended a truck and this ensured a huge jam which took 40 minutes to clear at around 11-30PM.

While everyone was in the queue in the toll gates, a few morons in their swanky sedans tried to break the queue and enter and caused a lot of inconvenience to others. Shame on them, for they looked educated too but appearances can always be deceptive since most of them werent really those land sharks or politicians but professionals (that is whatI could make out).

I finally reached Pune at 1-00am but realised that if you avoid one stretch for a hasslefree drive, you will encounter the others anyway. Since I had started at a really odd time (12PM) from Bangalore this time, The experience wasnt really great mostly while crossing Bangalore or those long queue at the toll and standing those idioits who kept breaking the queue.

In fact, The other day I read in TOI, Pune edition that truckers were planning not to pay toll unless the issue of waiting too long at these toll gates (Esp. Shirwal) was resolved.

Of all my experiences of doing Pune- Bangalore and back, I found the night drive much safer and less time consuming but again, it is not always safe and I did that only when I was travelling with a company.

The only other good time would be to start at 4-00am from either of these places but never ever drive on Pune - Kolhapur on a Friday Night (or Saturday Morning) or Kolhapur - Pune on a Sunday Night (or Monday morning) unless you have decided that these 10-15 minutes' breaks due to long queues come for free anyways.

[anainar]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Passing Tumkur is now a little easier than before - Thanks to the opened bridges.

Chitradurga too has opened bridges for traffic and a lot is better now. One needn't pass over those speedbreakers near that school or the narrow passage next to the bridge as before.

After Davanagere, one more bridge has been opened (Forgot the place) and this too makes life easier.

That sounds like good news atleast in its own way. I have seen the Chitradurga bridge being open last month itself. But Tumkur was still messy. Which bridge is open now? Do you still have to take that messy right turn to bypass Tumkur?

Was planning actually this time of Thursday 12:00 PM departure to reach Pune by 12:00 AM in the night, but your experience belies my plan. Am better off sticking to 4:00 AM departure plan on Friday.

Nainar

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Passing Tumkur is now a little easier than before - Thanks to the opened bridges.

Chitradurga too has opened bridges for traffic and a lot is better now. One needn't pass over those speedbreakers near that school or the narrow passage next to the bridge as before.

Thanks Parag for the updates. Those bridges are a welcome change. Lets hope in the next 6 months we can have everything completed and will be able to by-pass all the small villages to make better time.
One more thing. I did not encounter extremely long queues at tolls between Kol and Pune. Maybe 5-6 cars ahead of me but not 10-15mins definitely. Your case must be one off. I usually drive Pune - Kol or Kol - Pune early mornings. 5 AM ish.
Thanks again for the updates.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by anainar

Which bridge is open now? Do you still have to take that messy right turn to bypass Tumkur?

Was planning actually this time of Thursday 12:00 PM departure to reach Pune by 12:00 AM in the night, but your experience belies my plan. Am better off sticking to 4:00 AM departure plan on Friday.

Nainar

The first one immediately after you exit from the toll (This was kept closed in between but now opened for good though not completed fully).

Yes, there is still no escape from that messy right turn but later you needn't face the oncomming traffic on the RHS below the next bridge as the traffic is bifurcated to move on either side of this bridge and it is "better" now.

But you wont regret passing Chitradurga or a few villages after Davanagere this time as most bridges are functional. But the railway crossings are a mess and you may have to wait for a train to pass like I did at one of them at this time.

Since it is a Thursday, I dont see much private traffic from Kolhapur onwards since mine was a weekend but I would still vouch to start off at 4-00am for all the good reasons!

[BunnyPunia]

Did Pune - Davangere - Pune yesterday.
Things are improving, at a slow pace though.

I left Davanagere at 11:45am, reached Pune, 590km away at 8:30pm, just under 9hrs in a Xylo. Davanagere to Haveri, 65kms, is the bad stretch, but it has improved. Road, even in the 2lane section has been paved to an extent. Rannibennur bypass is almost ready : good news. The two railway crossings however remain. Lot of work is going on, and i wont be surprised if this 65km section becomes 95% 4-laned in the next 2 months.
After Haveri, even with cruising speeds @ 100-105km/h, i was averaging 77-80km/h per hour.

Problems with doing Davangere-Pune in day time:
1. Rannibennur city traffic
2. Toll booths before Kolhapur and after Kolhapur, all the way to Pune have lot of traffic. Average traffic halt time is 10-15min.

If one does Davangere-Pune in night, expect to reach Pune (590ish kms) in 8hr 15-30min including food break. Add another 2hrs to Mumbai.

PS : Mcdonalds before Kolhapur, and around 30km before Pune (on the right side)

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by BunnyPunia

2. Toll booths before Kolhapur and after Kolhapur, all the way to Pune have lot of traffic. Average traffic halt time is 10-15min.

Increase in traffic Kolhapur onwards exists anyways but the longer queues now are really a pain.

At a few toll booths, there are deliberate non-functional gates and passing of vehicles is allowed only from 2 gates( in one direction). I say deliberate since I have seen them idle from my last 4 trips in the past 5 months and I still wonder why!

Truckers who usually stay left at the booths have no choice but occupy the center lane as well, thus adding to the chaos. And when cars doing 100-120kmph need to pass through this crawling section, patience levels are really being tested.

It would be good to give a feedback to the Infrastructure Company manning/owning the booth regarding this merely to fill up their feedback boxes that remain rusted.

@Pervez, It is always a good practice to do the Pune - Kol or Kol-Pune early mornings much before the town and village folks wake up and for all the reasons!

But when Bangalore - Pune/Mumbai is considered, The choice always remains a gamble on what you want to avoid – The famous Nelemangala exit & C’Durga – Haveri heritage section or the ever busy Kolhapur – Pune stretch.

Just to give it a try, I did the Pune Bangalore all through the night starting at 10-00PM and reaching Bangalore by 10am (9am once) on two occasions in the past 2 months with short breaks. The positives to me though a complete night drive won’t be recommended usually were:

• Comparatively lesser traffic from Pune till Kolhapur
• Overtaking always remained from the right as truckers and MSRTC buses behave very well sticking to the left lane and giving way from right. Less strenuous driving all the way with a constant steering position.
• Mostly driving with constant and seamless speeds except slowing down at booths.
• Passing of Ranibennur town and the Railway gates is heaven (which is hell during the day) and happens in a jiffy.

However, the negatives were

• Safety issues on doing this stretch in the night though nothing untoward happened due to good traffic all through.
• Post Kolhapur (Towards Blr), absolutely no place to fill up the car or the driver except before the Dharward Bypass.
• After Chitradurga, the mining lorries behave insanely since you are crossing this in the dawn and they somehow derive extra energy at this time and drive more rashly cutting lanes and ‘et al.
• Finally, you don’t want to be welcomed with that early morning chaos after Nelemangala just before you are reaching your destination after that long sleepless 850kms drive.

Anyone doing Blr- Pune/Mumbai will be happier to enter and exit Pune through the westerly bypass and get on to the expressway without a pain as opposed to doing the Nelamangala even till the NICE entry.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

@Pervez, It is always a good practice to do the Pune - Kol or Kol-Pune early mornings much before the town and village folks wake up and for all the reasons!


Anyone doing Blr- Pune/Mumbai will be happier to enter and exit Pune through the westerly bypass and get on to the expressway without a pain as opposed to doing the Nelamangala even till the NICE entry.

The best time to enter Nelmangala, as per my experiences is the afternoon time. I have easily waded through traffic and joined NICE (LHS ramp) between 2 to 4 PM. Ofcourse I had to leave Kol at 4 am for that.
Once I entered Nelmangala at 6-7 PM and vowed never to do so.
Reached Jayanagar at 9:00 PM.
Another time I entered Nelmangala at 7-8 AM Monday and again vowed never to do so. This is the time when all the people from neighbouring villages enter BLR for work. So they come after visiting near by towns in the weekends and enter BLR at that time. Horrifying experiences both times.

[StarVegabond]

I have found the following during the onward drive from Bangalore to Mumbai

Option 1:

Leave Bangalore at 4AM, Drive through Didballapur-Dobaspet bypass, Cross Ranebennur by 8 AM before the town wakes up. Fill up at IOCL next to Sankam Residency in Belgaum, have lunch there, afternoons are relatively easy on Kolhapur-Pune stretch, reach Pune by 6 PM, reach Navi Mumbai by 8 PM.

Option 2: Leave Bangalore by 2 PM, follow the dodballapur-dobbaspet bypass, reach Belgaum by 10 PM, Have dinner at Sankam, fill up at IOCL and leave by 11 PM. Reach Pune in 3.5 hours and anouther 1.5 hours to Navi Mumbai. Advantage is lease traffic from Belgaum onwards, easier pune bypass,

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

I have found the following during the onward drive from Bangalore to Mumbai

Option 1:

Leave Bangalore at 4AM, Drive through Didballapur-Dobaspet bypass, Cross Ranebennur by 8 AM before the town wakes up. Fill up at IOCL next to Sankam Residency in Belgaum, have lunch there, afternoons are relatively easy on Kolhapur-Pune stretch, reach Pune by 6 PM, reach Navi Mumbai by 8 PM.

Option 2: Leave Bangalore by 2 PM, follow the dodballapur-dobbaspet bypass, reach Belgaum by 10 PM, Have dinner at Sankam, fill up at IOCL and leave by 11 PM. Reach Pune in 3.5 hours and anouther 1.5 hours to Navi Mumbai. Advantage is lease traffic from Belgaum onwards, easier pune bypass,

The Dobspet option works for those residing in and around North Bangalore and It may not really make a difference even if you take the normal Tumkur road at 4am.

I usually take the BEL - Jalahalli cross to reach Tumkur Road and after this I only have to cross through the last signal - Reliance (8th Mile) and continue.

The time taken to traverse through the ORR (those from HSR, Jayanagar, BSK, JPN, BTM side) and then through Yelehanka and Doddaballapur would more or less me same (or more) than taking the NICE road and getting down onto Tumkur Road.

Dobspet route would work best when leaving from North Bangalore and during the peak hours.

[Hurrycane12]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The Dobspet option works for those residing in and around North Bangalore and It may not really make a difference even if you take the normal Tumkur road at 4am.

Agree with you on this one; even thought the time taken is same the only positive I find is there is no stoppages and you have a continous drive.

For people staying on the south side of town its better to take the NICE road and then join the NH4; I guess we can save about 30-45 minutes;

[ajith]

Quick note of thanks to all that shared their experiences on this thread. Just did a trip to Pune(dec 25) and back(dec 31). Car was a fairly new Verna. Roads were amazing. The bad patches were as bad as ever. Truck drivers were more than tolerable. Slow two wheeler riders in the fast lane or on the centre line were a nuisance everywhere.

[Sunnleks]

Hello,

I did Mumbai - Bangalore in less than 12 hours couple of times. If you start early in the morning from Mumbai, you can avoid Mumbai and Pune traffic. Only strech which is little bit bad is Rannebennur. Also beware of small bridges ( culverts) between Davengere and Chitradurga where road widening is 80% complete. If you are driving in high speed and passing through these culverts can damage the neck/Back bone of passengers. Also beware of trucks which changes lanes with out signals and vehicles coming on opposite directions.

Sai - Kolhapur is good place for a break and they do have clean rest rooms.

Sunil

[paragsachania]

Did Pune-Blr on 31st Night starting at 9pm and reaching at 9-30am.
Back to Pune today morning starting from Blr at 3pm yesterday and in Pune at 3-30am.

The night drive on 31st eve was a breeze with an almost zero private traffic.
Nothing changes between Pune all the way till Bankapura and "all is well".

Construction work is in full swing at most of the places and slowly almost all the bridges will be thrown open to traffic to make a smoother drive. The bad patches near the Railway crossings however are the same.

The nasty speedbreaker on either sides (near Sira) has been removed though the signboards still remain giving you some anxious moments whether to downshift and brake since it still looks as if the hump exists.

Work on the Railway Overbridge on Hubli-Dharwad bypass is completed and both the lanes are available for traffic to move on either directions. The speedbreakers still remain though.

More and more huge speedbreakers are getting added on the Nelemangala stretch and it is a challenge to pass over these without scrapping the bottom.

I had a harrowing time post Nelamangala enroute Bangalore with Jams lasting for more than an Hour at the Commercial Tax check post.

Way back, I did a sedate driving till Dharwad Exit and from here I belted doing 100-120 kmph since traffic was very low and it was also a great experience passing Kolpahur at 1am and reaching Pune at 3-30am. Really odd timings these were but now I have learnt the best and the worst times to travel from the past 6/7 trips in the last 6 months.