[cdrajeevkumar]

Originally Posted by autoweirdo

I will be taking same route tomorrow for Kharadi (Pune) my only worry is of traffic due to Palkhi around Pune, will update thread post journey.

Another option is new restaurant post Kushtagi - Green Restaurant had tried snack items which were good.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ps5P9B9HvjdXnm1u5

You can keep these for reference for this route.

Thank you Autoweirdo. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated as we will be driving on Sunday morning towards Pune. A quick check on GMaps showed 15 hrs but I believe we can shave off an odd hour or so!

Also we will try the Green Restaurant. Thank you for this suggestion!

Have a great and safe trip!

Regards,

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by autoweirdo

I will be taking same route tomorrow for Kharadi (Pune) my only worry is of traffic due to Palkhi around Pune, will update thread post journey

The Palkhi will stay in Pune tomorrow (21st June), and resume its journey towards Pandharpur only on 22nd June. So, it shouldn't be much of an issue for you.

[napster]

Originally Posted by autoweirdo

I will be taking same route tomorrow for Kharadi (Pune) my only worry is of traffic due to Palkhi around Pune, will update thread post journey.

Main Palkhis from Pune will be leaving on 22nd June, however expect multiple smaller palkhis and groups of people walking along the route, so you'll need to be watchful while going through this stretch till Indapur at least .

[cdrajeevkumar]

Originally Posted by napster

Main Palkhis from Pune will be leaving on 22nd June, however expect multiple smaller palkhis and groups of people walking along the route, so you'll need to be watchful while going through this stretch till Indapur at least .

Thanks for this update! Unfortunately due to street flooding in Pune and heavy rain predicted by IMD, we’ve called off our trip. We are on a wait -n - watch mode now and would wait for more updates from members doing this route.

[autoweirdo]

Here is quick update of my journey:
Route: Varthur - STRR till Dobbaspet - Chitradurga - Vijayapura - Zalki - Pandharpur - Phaltan - Pune (Kharadi)

Starting Time: 6.15 Am Destination Time: 9.30 PM

We carried food for breakfast and lunch which helped us save time a lot.

1) Dobbaspet to Chitradurga there are 3 diversions but service road is well paved so no traffic jam.
2) Post Hospete flyover work is still on and service roads were in poor condition so took nearly 15-20 min to cross stretch of 1km. Post that roads are in good condition till Zalki.
3) Zalki to Pandharpur road is 2lane but in very good condition so no issue faced.
4) Google routed us through Pandharpur bypass so didnt faced any issue, it was crowded in city and lot of vehicles along with warkari (devotee coming by walk) were rushing towards city due to Ekadashi but we were on opposite side so no issue faced.
5) Palkhi Marg (4 lane with additional lane for palkhi) from Pandharpur to Pune is 90% complete. Only Phaltan town and Nira town bypass is pending. Stretch from Phaltan to Jejuri is 50% complete which will slow you down a bit.
6) Dive ghat expansion work is still on and will take atleast a year time to complete from Dive Ghat to Hadapsar (this was worst stretch with literally no roads)
8) Also one toll booth of Rs65 is now active post Malshiras.
9) I will suggest to take Solapur route only as minimum it will be currently 35-40 min faster. By year end may be Pandharpur route just because of heavy traffic on Solapur Highway.

Since we crossed before closure time of 12AM we were quickly down ghat, but post that due to road work plus lot of people and vehicles resting at foothills and shops around, took us nearly 45min to reach Hadapsar(Solapur road flyover) from ghat.

Also it was sunny to cloudy day with hardly any rains entire route.

For dinner we had at Shree Vithhal Dhaba in Jejuri which was good:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dR54aNYn4CEYHF9t7

[cdrajeevkumar]

Originally Posted by autoweirdo

Here is quick update of my journey:
Route: Varthur - STRR till Dobbaspet - Chitradurga - Vijayapura - Zalki - Pandharpur - Phaltan - Pune (Kharadi)

9) I will suggest to take Solapur route only as minimum it will be currently 35-40 min faster. By year end may be Pandharpur route just because of heavy traffic on Solapur Highway.


Also it was sunny to cloudy day with hardly any rains entire route.

For dinner we had at Shree Vithhal Dhaba in Jejuri which was good:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dR54aNYn4CEYHF9t7

Thanks Autoweirdo. We had to cancel our road trip due to news about waterlogging & traffic jams. We plan to do this trip during July. Your pointers are well noted. Appreciate this feedback

[sriturl]

Last I travelled on this stretch was before covid, and was a good drive all the way upto Pune. I have an option to break in Kolhapur to stay with family. But considering the road conditions, I am planning to take Solapur road, and my destination is Mumbai, I am planning a break.
Again, can stay with family in Hyderabad, so considering Blr-Hyd-Mumbai
Any pointers on Solapur and beyond for a Saturday drive to Mumbai from Hyderabad is most welcome.
Pandharpur bypass shows in construction on google maps, is it still the same?
Pune by pass is pretty much what shows as NH 48 on maps I am assuming?

thanks in advance.

[Rolwynj]

Completed Bangalore to Mumbai driving on Friday. Used the good old NH48. Not much of a problem in actual as compared to Google maps or reviews in this forum. Always NH48 over Chitradurga - Solapur road. Belgaum to Satara ( bad strech) shows 5 hours, but if you plan your travel well, you can clear this segment with least traffic and navigate diversion easily in 4 and half hours. We started at 5 am from Belgaum early so most 2 wheelers and heavy vehicles were off the road. Those who cross this patch around rush hours will obviously complain. This is my 6th trip in 12 months to Mumbai to and fro, and always found NH48 best due to pitstops, clean restrooms, restaurants etc.

[maheshsm12]

Originally Posted by Rolwynj

Completed Bangalore to Mumbai driving on Friday. Used the good old NH48. Not much of a problem in actual as compared to Google maps or reviews in this forum. Always NH48 over Chitradurga - Solapur road.

How long did the drive take? Drive time+ pitstops

Originally Posted by Rolwynj

This is my 6th trip in 12 months to Mumbai to and fro, and always found NH48 best due to pitstops, clean restrooms, restaurants etc.

What are the recommended pitstops? Thinking of DVG for bfast, not sure for lunch though.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by Rolwynj

Belgaum to Satara ( bad strech) shows 5 hours, but if you plan your travel well, you can clear this segment with least traffic and navigate diversion easily in 4 and half hours

How is the road condition of the highway as well as the service roads in the stretch between Belgavi and Karad? Is the Tawandi ghat still a bottle neck for traffic? How fast can one reach Kognoli from Belgavi?

I had last travelled on this stretch in Jan 2025, so hopeful there should at least some visible improvements.

[Rolwynj]

Originally Posted by maheshsm12

How long did the drive take? Drive time+ pitstops

What are the recommended pitstops? Thinking of DVG for bfast, not sure for lunch though.

Started at 5 am from RT nagar, Bangalore. Breakfast at Upadhay Ruchi ( Aimangala) 8 am , 1 pm reach belgaum and check in ( Airbnb 800 rs room). This place was rented out for the first time, so it was very clean and neatly maintained. Next morning started at 4 am so that you can cross diversion with minimum traffic and reached Karad by 7.30 ( Rau misal for breakfast). Then from Rau misal to Mumbai borivali 6 hours. I generally do in single stretch but this time, divided into 2 segments to evade bikers/ heavy trucks on the route. First day - Bangalore to belgaum - 7.30 mins, next day belgaum to Borivali - 10 hours.

For lunch you can stop at Hotel Ganesh ( near Tadas cross)

Originally Posted by ghodlur

How is the road condition of the highway as well as the service roads in the stretch between Belgavi and Karad? Is the Tawandi ghat still a bottle neck for traffic? How fast can one reach Kognoli from Belgavi?.

Exactly 2 hours from Belgaum to kognoli toll. In maps, you can see diversion on tawandi ghat, but when I left at 4 am from Belgaum, I did not see any diversions. For long stretch of road, I was the lone driver with 2-3 trucks. The humps on the service roads have no markers nor signboards. I was relieved to reach Karad before i could see traffic.

[amolpg]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

How is the road condition of the highway as well as the service roads in the stretch between Belgavi and Karad? Is the Tawandi ghat still a bottle neck for traffic? How fast can one reach Kognoli from Belgavi?

I had last travelled on this stretch in Jan 2025, so hopeful there should at least some visible improvements.

Not much has changed in the last 6 months, it's still work in progress. Of course there is progress, but not to the extent that makes normal driver's life any easier.

[NPV]

For Belagavi-Mahabaleshwar, instead of taking the regular NH48 route, planning to take the scenic route via Tilari ghat-Banda, join the Mumbai-Goa highway NH66 and go upto Poladpur and then turn off towards Mahabaleshwar. On the return we will do Mahabaleshwar-Satara-Belagavi.

Any news about reports of any heavy rain, flood warnings or landslides in the route above?

[ghodlur]

I travelled from Bangalore to Pune yday and the trip was an eventful journey. Started from Devanahalli around 4.30 am and reached Pune at 6.30 pm covering 900 kms in 14 hrs. This has been the longest time for me in this route. Debated a lot with home minister for the 2 routes i.e vis NH48 and via NH50. Seeing the map and the diversion on NH48, home minister straightway ruled out NH48. So it was NH50 from Devanahalli-Chitradurga-Vijaypura-Zalki-Pandharpur-Shirwal-Pune route which was finalized. The route showed no red or amber patches and was blue all the way. Reached Zalki around 12 noon and moved towards Pandharpur. Post Pandharpur the patch till Phaltan was blocked for Palkhi (Procession) which came a rude jolt to otherwise smooth journey. Had to re-route to Indapur and connect to NH65, the patch I was eagerly trying to avoid as this would mean I would have travel via Loni Kalbhor, Urli Kanchan and Hadapsar the perennial traffic hot spots. Had no other alternative but to navigate through this stretch which actually tests your patience to the hilt. Finally reached the destination a good 2 hrs late than usual. Had I know about the Pandharpur block, I could used the NH65 from Solapur till Pune and reached maybe an hour before.

Road condition:
4 diversions till Chitradurga which is new on NH 48. NH50 all the way is 4 laned beautiful road, triple digit speeds easily done in cruise control. There are some patches where the road becomes bumpy due to patch works but nothing to be thought of. There are the usual unmarked speed breakers and speed rumblers which disrupt the speed. The roads from Zalki to Pandharpur are 2 laned tarred and concreted roads. The roads pass through the towns of Chadchan and Mangalwedha where speed slows down. Even if there is a bypass to Pandharpur the city traffic will slow you down. NH65 is good with a few diversions still present. Pune traffic as any metro traffic is horrible.

The Anand Vihar halt was used to free up the legs and stretch as the hotel was closed but the owner confirmed the hotel would start its morning operations after 1st Aug as the kitchen was undergoing renovations.

The halt at Nandgokula near Kushtagi was a very ordinary one, the food was very below average (Coarse idlis, cold vadas, thick dosas). The washroom is a place where one can puke easily looking at the condition.

I had halted at BPCL COCO before Zalki, unfortunately the pump was inoperational due to no power supply and the DG also not operating. The owner sheepishly expressed his inability to serve the fuel.

The only good thing about the journey was the Basundi or rabdi at Pandharpur which was mind blowing. Packed some for home as well.

The return is now being planned using the usual NH48, hope there will be no surprised here.

[autoweirdo]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Had I know about the Pandharpur block, I could used the NH65 from Solapur till Pune and reached maybe an hour before.

The halt at Nandgokula near Kushtagi was a very ordinary one, the food was very below average (Coarse idlis, cold vadas, thick dosas). The washroom is a place where one can puke easily looking at the condition.

Pandharpur Pune route will be blocked till 7th July in patches so anyone planning this route avoid for sometime.
Nandgokula used to serve good tiffin items but surprisingly last one year its quality is going down hill. Better to carry some food for this route for now.