[abhii176]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

If this is your first drive from Bangalore to Mumbai and not familiar with the diversions on NH48 then better stick to Vijaypur route.
The Solapur route is the best one when compared to road condition and traffic but is longer and then you will need to cross the Pune city to reach the Mumbai Pune Expressway. Plus traffic at Hadapsar will test your patience.
If you are adventurous & have time on hand then try Vijaypura Satara road via Jath, Rahimatpur which is a single laned road and prone to slight traffic. This way you join the NH 48 at Satara and can reach Pune faster. I have requested a friend who recently travelled this stretch to share the updates on road condition and traffic, will put in this thread later.

Thank you ghodlur, the last time I drove from Bangalore to Pune was 3 years back in my trusted Punto. The road conditions were good back then and the drive was smooth.
With the ongoing construction and diversions, I am definitely inclined towards the Vijaypura route but confused if I should go through Solapur or through Satara. In terms of time, would the Solapur route take significantly longer? And would the traffic at Hadapsar be a factor if I am travelling on a weekday or is it always bad?
Will definitely wait for your update on the Vijaypura Satara route once you hear back from your friend.
And thank you the suggestions on areas to stay!

[napster]

Originally Posted by abhii176

Thank you ghodlur, the last time I drove from Bangalore to Pune was 3 years back in my trusted Punto. The road conditions were good back then and the drive was smooth.
With the ongoing construction and diversions, I am definitely inclined towards the Vijaypura route but confused if I should go through Solapur or through Satara. In terms of time, would the Solapur route take significantly longer? And would the traffic at Hadapsar be a factor if I am travelling on a weekday or is it always bad?

I have travelled via Solapur thrice in last 7-8 months Between Pune-Bangalore. The Road condition is pretty good where you can easily maintain good speed (be mindful of unmarked speed bumps at few spots between Hospete-Vijapur). Overall for Pune-Banaglore it's longer by 30-40 KM but you can cover that up, just that there are less food options on this route.

Regarding the traffic condition near Pune, I stay in Hadapsar area so I can tell that, While entering Pune you'd face traffic at Urali Kanchan and then Hadapsar area you would mostly find chaotic traffic and very rarely you'd get a free road. The problem is, in the absence of proper ring road for Pune at a times you may even face more traffic at some points post 9 pm as loads of trucks/trailers enter Pune City from this route to go towards Mumbai.

As many of the people suggested in this thread, if you wish to go in the Eastern part of the Pune City then coming via Solapur makes sense, if you need to go to Mumbai then IMO you should evaluate tentative at what time you'd enter the Pune city, if its at odd hours then you may choose this route to cross the Pune city with less stress.

[abhii176]

Originally Posted by napster

As many of the people suggested in this thread, if you wish to go in the Eastern part of the Pune City then coming via Solapur makes sense, if you need to go to Mumbai then IMO you should evaluate tentative at what time you'd enter the Pune city, if its at odd hours then you may choose this route to cross the Pune city with less stress.

Thanks napster, looks like Vijaypura Satara is way to go given my eventual destination is Mumbai. No point driving through Pune city in heavy traffic.

Thanks for all the inputs!

[Ays7]

Originally Posted by abhii176

Thanks napster, looks like Vijaypura Satara is way to go given my eventual destination is Mumbai. No point driving through Pune city in heavy traffic.

Thanks for all the inputs!

I did this route just last week. Hospet - Vijaypura is a breeze, just be mindful of speed breakers - they are plenty but you can anticipate them. They are there at every interaction.

After Vijaypura, the Jath - Vita - Satara road is practically a single lane road. There is a 5-7 Km bad stretch where road works are going on but it should be ok for Safari to tackle.

Apart from that traffic on the route was non existent and I could do 60-80 easily even on the single lane route.

As many have mentioned - food options are non - existent. Tank up at or before Vijaypura.

There are tea-shops, and may be a small restaurant or two at Jath or Vita, but you will have to take your chances with them.

But at present, on a normal day this route makes so much more sense than NH-48 which is in shambles from Belgavi - Satara.

[abhii176]

Originally Posted by Ays7

I did this route just last week. Hospet - Vijaypura is a breeze, just be mindful of speed breakers - they are plenty but you can anticipate them. They are there at every interaction.

After Vijaypura, the Jath - Vita - Satara road is practically a single lane road. There is a 5-7 Km bad stretch where road works are going on but it should be ok for Safari to tackle.

Apart from that traffic on the route was non existent and I could do 60-80 easily even on the single lane route.

As many have mentioned - food options are non - existent. Tank up at or before Vijaypura.

There are tea-shops, and may be a small restaurant or two at Jath or Vita, but you will have to take your chances with them.

But at present, on a normal day this route makes so much more sense than NH-48 which is in shambles from Belgavi - Satara.

Always great to get a recent perspective, will be mindful of the speedbreakers on the Hospet Vijaypura stretch. Have come across some really bad axle breakers on Karnataka highways and if these are of the same variety, I will have to be extra careful!

So as long as I do not need to make a fuel/ food stop on the Vijaypura - Jath - Vita - Satara stretch, it seems to be ok. Single lane seems to be the only pain point.

[Rajesh K R]

Hi, i have an upcoming BLR-MUM drive during 3rd week of October. Was contemplating on whether to take the regular BLR-Belgaum-Mum route or go via Vijayapura and Solapur.

However this route from Vijayapura to Satara looks interesting. So, instead of the regular AH48, i can easily take BLR-Vijayapura-Satara-Pune-Mumbai.

I am a solo driver and our drive will be an Elite i20 crdi. I have already driven 2 times BLR-Mumbai on the regular AH48.

So, how is the road condition in this Vijayapura to Satara stretch? looks good from the few pics which i find.

Originally Posted by Ays7

The morning after my stay in Hubli, I drove from Hubli to Hampi, and the journey was a breeze! It took me around 2.5 hours with great roads for most of the way, where I could use cruise control almost the entire time. Only the last 5 km were a bit rough, but otherwise, the roads were world-class.

On the return leg, I started from Hampi at 10:00 AM on September 10th and decided to take the Hampi-Vijaypura-Jaat-Vita-Satara road to avoid the bad stretch of NH-48 between Satara and Belgaum, which I had experienced before. This route turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The highway to Vijaypura was in good condition, and I could easily maintain 80-90 km/h on most stretches. There were a few unexpected speed breakers, but after a while, I could predict them and slow down accordingly. Traffic was minimal, which made the drive even smoother.

After Vijaypura, the road became a single-lane highway with very few food stops, so we were glad we had packed lunch from the hotel. There was a bad stretch of about 10 km where road construction was ongoing, but apart from that, it was a breeze, with almost no traffic. The scenic route, with windmills, greenery, and mountains, added to the pleasant experience. I covered the 440 km stretch in exactly 7 hours and 5 minutes, reaching Satara by 5:30 PM and checking into The Fern Hotel.

The next day, we started from Satara at 10:00 AM and took the Mumbai-Pune Expressway via the Atal Setu. Despite a bit of traffic in Pune and a couple of stops for fuel and lunch, we made it home by 4:45 PM.

I drove an AT Petrol Alcazar with a 2.0L engine, and the car handled the ghats and rough patches really well. The overall fuel efficiency for the 1505 km trip came out to 11.9 km/l using the tank-to-tank method.

[Ays7]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

So, how is the road condition in this Vijayapura to Satara stretch? looks good from the few pics which i find.

The roads are mostly solid for the most part. There is a 7-8 Km bad stretch where road construction is going on that will slow you down. But the traffic is light on the road for the most part and I did not get stuck anywhere. In fact for most stretch despite it being single lane road, I could do 70-80 Kmph with ease for the most part.

Having done both - Satara - Belgavi on NH48 and this route within a span of a week, at present, Vijaypura - Satara road felt like a better option.

Again, food options are limited, so be mindful of that.

[Rajesh K R]

Hello,

I am from Bangalore, not familiar with Mumbai. Can you please guide me on how i can get on to Atal Setu from Sewri side to drive towards Navi Mumbai? I will be coming from Vile Parle and driving down to Bangalore - just want to try the Atal Setu experience.

1. Atal setu is quite helpful especially since I live closeby, but the moment it merges on NH, the road quality is beyond pathetic. I was questioning my decision of taking Atal Setu instead of old Vashi bridge route (I am not aware of the condition of that road). If anyone is aware let me know, I am take that route on my way back.

2. Even the expressway is not as good as it used to be. Lot of uneven path work which spoils the whole experience. I am not sure if the focus is on constructing the missing link and they are just ignoring everything else.

3. Haven't seen so many people walking on the side, driving 2 wheelers (wrong direction included). I suspect the reason for this is that lot of barricades/fencing has been removed by locals basis their convenience.

Not mentioning anything about truckers since there is just no point. But the whole experience has quite sub par. I have been doing Mumbai-Pune rounds since 2009 (not very frequently but enough to notice the difference in scenery and roads) and back then I didn't get to ride/drive cars which are available today (emphasis is that cars available today are better than the taxis and hatchbacks which were there back in the day).[/quote]

[Rajesh K R]

Hello Team,

I am from Bangalore and not very familiar with Mumbai roads. Will be driving into Mumbai from Bangalore. Wanted suggestions - whether to take the Atal Setu or go via the regular Vashi bridge. My destination will be JVPD scheme, Vile Parle West.

Again on my return to BLR, how to get on to the Atal Setu from Vile Parle, Am trying to use G-maps but not able to get a proper routing in that. Is there a separate ramp from Wadala/Sewri to get onto the Atal Setu?

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

Wanted suggestions - whether to take the Atal Setu or go via the regular Vashi bridge. My destination will be JVPD scheme, Vile Parle West.

Take the Vashi Bridge route since there are lots of bridges on this route that will take you faster to JVPD scheme.

Again on my return to BLR, how to get on to the Atal Setu from Vile Parle, Am trying to use G-maps but not able to get a proper routing in that.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/x69MxVnCKiLKC8jMA?g_st=ic

Have a good trip.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by Ays7

The roads are mostly solid for the most part. There is a 7-8 Km bad stretch where road construction is going on that will slow you down. But the traffic is light on the road for the most part and I did not get stuck anywhere. In fact for most stretch despite it being single lane road, I could do 70-80 Kmph with ease for the most part.

Having done both - Satara - Belgavi on NH48 and this route within a span of a week, at present, Vijaypura - Satara road felt like a better option.

Again, food options are limited, so be mindful of that.

Thanks for the updates, this helps for my forthcoming trip. Couple of queries:
1. Is the Vijayapura-Jath-Vita road tolled one?
2. I am told there are some good food options at Vita, any thoughts on that.

I am planning to travel Vita Karad instead of going all the way to Satara, only negative in this is there is no direct hop on to NH48 at Karad, one has to go a long way for the U turn to take the NH48. Any idea on this?

To people who have taken the NH50 and halted at Anand Vihar recently, any idea if this restaurant is open early morning say around 7.30 am. As per google the timings are from 10.30 am. If thats the case any other breakfast/tea halt options in case Anand Vihar opens late, kindly share.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

Will be driving into Mumbai from Bangalore. Wanted suggestions - whether to take the Atal Setu or go via the regular Vashi bridge. My destination will be JVPD scheme, Vile Parle West.

Again on my return to BLR, how to get on to the Atal Setu from Vile Parle, Am trying to use G-maps but not able to get a proper routing in that.

As others have mentioned, the fastest route to JVPD scheme is via the Vashi Bridge, followed by Ghatkopar Mankhurd Link Road, and the Santacruz Chembur Link Road. If you want to experience the Atal Setu on the way back, enter the Eastern Freeway from Ghatkopar Mankhurd Link Road, and then take the ramp (clearly posted) to the Atal Setu. Will take about 20 minutes more but is arguably a much nicer drive.

[Ketav]

We drove from Pune to Bangalore on the 16th Sept 2024.

Pune to Belgaum, via Satara and Karad. Lots of construction and diversions. Do not recommend at all till this construction is completed.

I should have researched this road condition on TeamBHP before we started. :(

Belgaum to Bangalore is excellent.

[Rambo65]

Hi @Ketav, can you tell me how much time did it take exactly from Pune to Belgaum? Planning a "maiden, solo" drive from Western side of Pune to BLR on Sep 25. Still in two minds if I should choose Pune-Solapur-Ikkal-Vijaypura route or the known NH 48 (the advantage being multiple food and resting options). Thanks!

[Rambo65]

Originally Posted by sanket456

For People who are taking this route : Pune - Solapur - Vijayapura - hospete - chitradurga-bengaluru route, you can have couple of good stops here :
1. Kyriad Prestige Ikkal - https://maps.app.goo.gl/XbhWg4jKziVkANh8A . This is around 70mins drive from Vijayapura towards bangalore. Service is slow but you would find good quality food and good washrooms. Good hotel to stay if needed.
2. Hotel Mayura KDTC TB Dam - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ApYxct7zc9j27hZ2A. This is under the flyover and can be easily missed so switch on maps when near hospet. Serves good quality food and very clean washrooms. Maintained by KTDC.

I just did Bengaluru-Solapur-Pune-Sambhajinagar-Solapur-Bangalore circuit over the last long weekend. Road condition is good but do expect bad patches in between.
Details:
1. Bengaluru - Chitradurag - good
2. Chitradurga - Hospet - good. no surprises
3. Hospet - Vijayapura - few bad patches. potholes in patches because of rains. watch out for speed breakers
4. Vijayapura - Solapur - good.
5. Solapur - Pune - average road conditions with lot of traffic which is usual on all MH roads.

Thanks, after a lot of thought and review of all posts, deciding to take the Pune-Satara-Vijaypura-Hospet-Bengaluru route for my maiden solo drive from Pune - Bengaluru. Booked myself at Kyriad Prestige for a night halt since I do not prefer night driving. (P.S.: This Forum is amazing! I cannot thank enough!)