[am1m]

Just did Mumbai-Bangalore yesterday. Took 16 hours, started from Belapur at 5:30 am, was on the Nelamangala-Bangalore road by 9 pm. 5 year old Alto, 2 people driving, swapping after 300km.

Road's great. Hardly any traffic after Pune. Truck jam for about 20 mins on the ghat section of the Mum-Pune expressway though; trailer had stalled. Road seemed wider on the Karnataka side. A few stray pothles, nothing major. One small section being done up as well, but great, smooth ride overall.

[netarchie]

Did mum-blr-mum route last week.

Started for B'lore on 7th sept wed and was back on 10th sept Saturday.
Road conditions are excellent all the way,especially the roads in karnataka.

From my place (new mumbai) to B'lore just after the flyover ends before peenya, i was able to cover in 10 hours 30 minutes flat (drive time), could have done atleast 30 - 45 mnts sooner if not for the rains. After that it took about 1 hour 30 minutes to reach the destination inside the city!

I was pleasantly surprised to find both the railway crossings can now be avoided after Haveri.
Previously from Bankapura toll till chitradurga was roughly 3 hours now its down to 1 hours 30 minutes! Also the the no of speed breakers have been reduced which is a welcome relief!
2 new toll gates are almost ready to be opened.

Potholes are being filled up near satara-pune,which I noticed on my way back.

Toll stations are crowded in Maharashtra and that situation remains still, which can only be avoided if travelled through night I guess.

Overall this stretch has seen great improvements over the past few years and travel time has been reduced quite a bit now.

Attaching the tripmeter for both the journeys.

[pareshraheja]

Can anyone here please update the current cost of the tolls on MH side and KA side one way.
I suppose the toll cost is higher on the MH side.

[binand]

My postponed trip (BOM-BLR) is now on 29th. I intend to start from Malad (W) at around 5AM and arrive in Marathahally the next day. Planning to stay overnight at Hubli - Hotel Ayodhya, as recommended. Driving alone in an i10 Sportz. Don't want to stress myself. Nice to hear that everything's hunky-dory on the route :-)

[lavish_n]

Originally Posted by binand

My postponed trip (BOM-BLR) is now on 29th. I intend to start from Malad (W) at around 5AM and arrive in Marathahally the next day. Planning to stay overnight at Hubli - Hotel Ayodhya, as recommended. Driving alone in an i10 Sportz. Don't want to stress myself. Nice to hear that everything's hunky-dory on the route :-)

Binand, The drive till you enter Bangalore is stress free. I do Malad (Opp Mindspace) to Banaswadi quite often. The drive till you cross Neelamangala flyover is a cruise. If you plan to start from Malad around 5 AM, you would be in Hubli before 2 pm.
Since you plan for a stop over journey, you can time your drive to enter Bangalore during off peak hours.
Have a safe journey.

[binand]

Originally Posted by lavish_n

If you plan to start from Malad around 5 AM, you would be in Hubli before 2 pm.

I am starting from Malad (Mindspace - near Evershine Mall).

My calculation is that Mumbai-Hubli is 600km; so if I do 60 kmph it will take me 10 hours. Add a couple of hours for breakfast, lunch, tea breaks, calls of nature, toll booth stoppages etc. and I should be in Hubli by 5PM. I don't think I will be able to average the 80 kmph I am used to in my Civic, but if I do, then I will consider driving onwards to Chitradurga (a further 200 km) and stop overnight there (Hotel Naveen Regency, again recommended here). I will call up both hotels to book rooms.

Originally Posted by lavish_n

Since you plan for a stop over journey, you can time your drive to enter Bangalore during off peak hours.
Have a safe journey.

That is my intention. Every time I have tried to enter Bangalore from any direction after 4PM, I have regretted it. :-)

Thanks for the wishes, anyway. The plan is still marked "tentative" as we have a major product launch this week and the trip will depend on that.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by binand

I am starting from Malad (Mindspace - near Evershine Mall).

My calculation is that Mumbai-Hubli is 600km; so if I do 60 kmph it will take me 10 hours. Add a couple of hours for breakfast, lunch, tea breaks, calls of nature, toll booth stoppages etc. and I should be in Hubli by 5PM. I don't think I will be able to average the 80 kmph I am used to in my Civic, but if I do, then I will consider driving onwards to Chitradurga (a further 200 km) and stop overnight there (Hotel Naveen Regency, again recommended here). I will call up both hotels to book rooms.
That is my intention. Every time I have tried to enter Bangalore from any direction after 4PM, I have regretted it. :-)

You are right as far as your calculations go. The traffic in MH sector is heavy and trying to overtake is stressful. So go as per your plan, drive leisurely, plan your arrival in Bangy mid next day and you should have a pleasant safe journey. Save fuel too
OTOH I have done this trip last 3 times in one day and found it very stressful. Esp the MH part. The KA part was enjoyable except that it is dark after C'durga and then night driving is not to my liking.

[binand]

Am typing this from my hotel room in Hubli.

Started from Malad a bit early - per dashboard clock, 4:43 AM. Airoli to the beginning of the expressway was a nightmare. Once I hit the expressway and day broke, it was a leisurely drive. Stopped for breakfast at a McDonald's on the Pune bypass at 7:45AM (hope my wife is not reading this :-). Then pretty much a quiet drive. A lot of traffic on NH4 in MH, but nothing to worry the sedate driver. :-) Took close to 40 minutes to clear the Taswade toll booth. Kolhapur went by at around 11:30AM. Wanted to fill fuel before entering KA (fuel price arbitraging) but forgot - more about this below.

Widening work (6-laning) has started between Pune and Satara.

Stopped for lunch at a wayside restaurant about 25 km before Dharwad. A Honda City (TN-01-X and a special number) with lots of Team-BHP stickers came in while I was there - show of hands?

The weather was really nice - drove with window down and A/c off throughout except when it rained. It rained heavily almost throughout after my lunch break till I settled in the hotel.

Reached Hubli by around 3:30 PM. Didn't like the look of Ayodhya, and since I had saved a lot of money on expected fuel costs, decided to splurge, so went to Hotel Naveen (1800 + tax for A/c room single occupancy). Nice place this is, though a bit far from Hubli city center. Ample parking, gated complex with security etc.

About the fuel: My I10 was giving me barely 9.5 kmpl when I was using it in Mumbai. I chased Hyundai for a while about this, and even boycotted SRK for making that "19.86 kmpl" claim on TV. But today, on the highway, I got a whopping 17.6 kmpl - I had filled my tank on Tuesday evening, and it ran for 470 km before I refilled it. My two days' errands in Mumbai, plus the whole of NH4/Maharashtra and then some more. I might even go watch Ra.1!

One last thing I forgot to mention: Once you clear Kagal and enter KA, the view of NH4 that unfolds in front of you is a sight to behold. Beautiful.

[binand]

Day 2:

Started from Hubli at 5AM. Since I had crashed by 9 the previous night, this was not a problem. went through (rather, bypassed) several small towns - Haveri, Ranebennur, Davengere, Chitradurga etc. - but had to go through Harihar, where the southbound carriageway goes through the town and the northbound bypasses it. Stopped for breakfast at Hiriyur when I found a Volvo that overtook me at great speed had stopped there. Two guys (from the bus) who shared my table were passing lewd comments about a female passenger in Tamil - not knowing that I can understand the language fairly well

There were five places with speedbreakers on the highway. The first of these was the real shocker - turning up when least expected with no signage or markings. For those interested, it comes immediately after the signboard that announces 13 km to Ranebennur, 51 to Chitradurga.

There is still one detour for the northbound traffic that lasts for about a couple of kilometres between Ranebennur and Harihar.

Tumkur and Nelamangala came soon enough. I was at Bangalore's outskirts (Jalahalli Cross junction) by 11AM. It took a while to turn left towards Jalhalli, but then I was forced to park my car for a while on Bangalore's biggest parking lot, the Outer Ring Road. Crossing the Krishnarajapuram interchange took a good 30 minutes, so I was home (Yemalur) only by 1PM.

Filled petrol at the IOCL pump on Varthur Road just before the turn-off to Yemalur. The mileage for the second filling is 20.12 kmpl - 555 km with 27.58 litres. I will watch Ra.1 twice, now

Total toll from Mumbai is Rs. 738. They have built two more toll booths which haven't started collecting yet.

All in all, a very pleasant trip. Except for the one speedbreaker where I had to brake hard, not a single instance where I felt any problem. This was my third drive on this route, but the first alone so was a bit anxious, but the trip itself was very enjoyable.

The high point of the trip certainly was the break of dawn on day 2 - so glorious it was, that I stopped for a while just to soak it in.

Such a feeling’s coming over me
There is wonder in most everything I see
Not a cloud in the sky
Got the sun in my eyes
And I won’t be surprised if it’s a dream

[cyberwhizs]

@binad. This is helpful thanks, was in two minds whether to break the journey or drive straight through. Going by your experience
Mumbai - Hubli 600 Km - 10 Hours (approx) Avg 60 Kmph
Hubli - Bangalore - 400 Km - 7 Hours (approx) Avg 57 Kmph

So the KA stretch is not all the faster afterall. I think i too will break the journey may be at hubli or chitradurga.

Thanks for letting us know about those speedbreakers will watch out for it. Tentatively will be heading there next friday.

PS: enjoy RA.1 and do keep us posted of your return trip

[binand]

Originally Posted by cyberwhizs

@binad. This is helpful thanks, was in two minds whether to break the journey or drive straight through. Going by your experience
Mumbai - Hubli 600 Km - 10 Hours (approx) Avg 60 Kmph
Hubli - Bangalore - 400 Km - 7 Hours (approx) Avg 57 Kmph

So the KA stretch is not all the faster afterall. I think i too will break the journey may be at hubli or chitradurga.

I was taking it very easy, as this was my first trip alone - I was consciously keeping myself to 60 kmph average. It can certainly be done in a day - a lot of people do it already. I broke journey only because (a) I have a phobia of night driving, and (b) I don't have the stamina to sustain 15-16 hours of driving continuously. Last time I did this (with a driver), we did Mumbai-Chennai in 20 hours, out of which I drove about half.

NH4 in KA is a beauty to drive on. Fantastic roads, hardly any traffic - you can easily average 90+ in a good car.

[gururaj r]

Mr Binand, You should make a trip during Dec, Jan. The early morning fog out of Tumkur is so dense that you cannot see more than 50 ms ahead. So Wonderful. I enjoyed reading your travelogue and glad to note the mileage. Your i10 is also a good car and you can do 90 kmph in your vehicle also.

[noopster]

Binand, that is exactly the right way to do it. No offence to anyone but those "I finished it in 10 hours" claims don't help anyone. Averaging nearly 100 kmph is not my idea of fun. The risk is too high.

Am keeping a close eye on this thread since will be doing a mega roadtrip later this month. Keep posting!

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by binand

All in all, a very pleasant trip. Except for the one speedbreaker where I had to brake hard, not a single instance where I felt any problem. This was my third drive on this route, but the first alone so was a bit anxious, but the trip itself was very enjoyable.

The high point of the trip certainly was the break of dawn on day 2 - so glorious it was, that I stopped for a while just to soak it in.

Such a feeling’s coming over me
There is wonder in most everything I see
Not a cloud in the sky
Got the sun in my eyes
And I won’t be surprised if it’s a dream

Excellent trip log, Binand. Like someone said, when you are out on a road trip, the journey is important not the destination.

Originally Posted by noopster

Binand, that is exactly the right way to do it. No offence to anyone but those "I finished it in 10 hours" claims don't help anyone.

@noops, the 10 hour claims do help, in a different way though. In two instances of driving I did on this route, I did not have the luxury of time (24 hours in a train / 1.5 days of relaxed driving / back-breaking 20 hours in a bus) or the extra money to spend on a last minute flight ticket. I decided to drive only because people here reported that it can be done in a single daytime.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by binand

Took close to 40 minutes to clear the Taswade toll booth. Wow that is some bad news

Widening work (6-laning) has started between Pune and Satara. That is some great news

One last thing I forgot to mention: Once you clear Kagal and enter KA, the view of NH4 that unfolds in front of you is a sight to behold. Beautiful.

I totally agree

Originally Posted by binand

Day 2:

S- but had to go through Harihar, where the southbound carriageway goes through the town and the northbound bypasses it. reported the same in my post above, but dont see the point in this diversion as there is no work gong on on the Northbound lane. Besides some smart alecs do not take the diversion and one faces oncoming traffic on the 2 lane road.

There is still one detour for the northbound traffic that lasts for about a couple of kilometres between Ranebennur and Harihar. Dont remember this

Originally Posted by cyberwhizs

Mumbai - Hubli 600 Km - 10 Hours (approx) Avg 60 Kmph
Hubli - Bangalore - 400 Km - 7 Hours (approx) Avg 57 Kmph

Originally Posted by binand

I was taking it very easy, as this was my first trip alone - I was consciously keeping myself to 60 kmph average.
NH4 in KA is a beauty to drive on. Fantastic roads, hardly any traffic - you can easily average 90+ in a good car.

My remarks in Bold

When I did this a few weeks ago I did Bangalore hubli in 5 hours. The roads are that good. Had my family with me and she never lets me cross 120. So you can imagine the time I spent at triple digit speeds.