Excellent marathon drive, paragsachania.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Fuel break at BPCL COCO, Nippani

This is located on the RHS of NH 4 just before KA-MH border while driving from Bangalore towards Pune and opened recently, right? Is there a median-opening provided for crossing the road? Petrol costs less in MH than KA, but diesel is costlier in MH than KA. I have decided to have tankful of diesel here henceforth.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Excellent marathon drive, paragsachania.



This is located on the RHS of NH 4 just before KA-MH border while driving from Bangalore towards Pune and opened recently, right? Is there a median-opening provided for crossing the road? Petrol costs less in MH than KA, but diesel is costlier in MH than KA. I have decided to have tankful of diesel here henceforth.

Yes Ravi sir. But no Median here.

Its located on the service road right beside the overbridge. So if one is driving south you shouldn't take the overbridge and take the service road to access this.

When driving North you again take the service road, drive 200 meters, turn right below the overbridge, turn left after passing underneath and drive another 200 meters to find this Fuel station.

I have also posted pictures of this station in the last update I had for Bangalore Mumbai thread.

Essentially, its the very second fuel station on the left soon after paying 35/- at Kognoli toll (in next 5 kms) towards Bangalore.

When driving North, its a bit difficult for first timers and hence I have in the same post mentioned the Trip meter reading keeping a point as reference. There is a Blue sign that reads "700 meters" and exactly here is where you take the service road when heading up. So if you are on right lane, its too difficult to slow down and enter. Couple of drives and you should be good .

Refer the below post and for you it will be easy to identity the COCO I am referring to -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3621591

[somitra1981]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Update on Road Conditions:

Bangalore-Pune-Mumbai remains the same with the only change being 3 diversions between Belgaum and Kolhapur to make way for relaying of surface and constructing a bridge after Belgaum[*]3 Thane-Surat-Bharuch-Ankleshwar-Baroda-Ahmedabad is again good barring 3 diversions between Ghodbunder and Manor[*]To beat the current mess on Narmada Bridge, we wisely took the Golden Bridge option both ways. We crossed this at 23 Hours onward and 1430 on Return.[*]The Khargar Toll (Sion-Panvel) too was smooth due to odd day/time (Friday for Onward and Monday for Return)

Hey, quick one, we are planning a Pune - Ahmedabad - Bhuj trip in the upcoming long weekend i.e. 2/3/4/5 April, I wanted to understand where exactly do you face this 'Narmada Bridge Mess' and a detour needs to be taken through the Golden Bridge. Can you shed some more light on this, thanks.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by somitra1981

Hey, quick one, we are planning a Pune - Ahmedabad - Bhuj trip in the upcoming long weekend i.e. 2/3/4/5 April, I wanted to understand where exactly do you face this 'Narmada Bridge Mess' and a detour needs to be taken through the Golden Bridge. Can you shed some more light on this, thanks.

It is in Bharuch. The NH8 curves towards right on the outskirts of Bharuch and after some distance, you get the new under construction 2-lane bridge on the otherwise 4-lane highway(the other 2 lanes are under construction). This is what causes the infamous jams.
Just exit the highway and enter Bharuch town and you'll reach the old and narrow Narmada bridge. Its better to close the ORVMs to pass this bridge.




Old and Narrow Golden Bridge

[alto99]

You can check this post of mine. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3667191
If you are traveling by a car you should be able to get through Narmada bridge on NH8 in 10-20 mins.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

you get the new under construction 2-lane bridge on the otherwise 4-lane highway(the other 2 lanes are under construction). This is what causes the infamous jams.

Actually there are 2 Bridges even on the regular highway.

Heading north, you get a 2 lane Bridge. Heading south there is a narrow bridge.

What actually causes the jams:

Majority of 2 way traffic is allowed to take only the 2 lane bridge. The other narrow bridge is open for lighter vehicles and is a very weak one too! You can literally notice every joint bouncing up and down every time a vehicle ahead passed a joint.

This narrow bridge also allows 2 way traffic but only for LMVs. Cops allow cars to take the wrong way (when driving north) and take this narrow bridge and get out on the other side.

It is the HVCs and HTVs which have to bear the brunt and wait longer hours as they need to wait and let opposite traffic pass (applicable both sides).

Just few weeks back arun_josie was not even allowed inside Ankleshwar town due to jams in and around Golden Bridge. School Holidays and typical Gujarati crowd out on roads made things worse.

Things as of today have got better. A mere 10-15 minute wait and you can use the usual bridge to get out when driving south. However, Jams remain (not all that bad) for North Bound traffic and taking Golden Bridge is advised.

Note this:
When driving North-It is always better to stick to Golden Bridge and pass this between 9pm-8am. Traffic will be absolutely thin and you will exit and enter NH in under 20 minutes via Ankleshwar Town - Golden Bridge - Bharuch Town.

When driving South:- Before deciding whether to take usual NH8 or the Golden Bridge you can always enter the service lane where you get to turn right into Bharuch below the flyover.

Check Googlemaps for live traffic and then take a call whether you want to enter Bharuch and take Golden Bridge or take the usual highway.

What I did last Saturday was same. I saw 3 cars with flashing headlight pouncing from the flyover in opposite direction. They had realised Jams were longer and then decided to make a U-Turn to take Golden Bridge.

As I spotted them, I decided to quickly get into the service lane and pulled over. Checked googlemaps and my location showed that I was more than halfway through the jam besides me (on the flyover). I simply continued straight through the regular NH8 Bridge and the whole affair was done in 10-15 minutes.


I drove Bangalore-Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar-Rajkot-Ahmedabad-Bangalore last weekend and here is a report of various sections that I passed when I drove Bangalore to Ahmedabad in one shot.

04:30 - Start
08:00 - Kamat, Varur (near Hubli) for Breakfast
09:00 – End of Dharwad Bypass, back on 6 lane
11:15 – Refill at BPCL COCO, 5 kms before MH Border
11:30 – CCD, Kolhapur for quick Mango shots for Daughter wasted 30 minutes!
13:00 – Lunch at Vittal Kamat before Umbraj/Karad
15:45 – Enter Pune Bypass
16:30 – Enter Mumbai Pune Expressway
17:30 – Enter Mumbai, Panvel
18:30 – Express Inn
19:00 – Start from Express Inn
19:30 – Nalasopara Jam Starts, we cover 1.5 kms in 1 hour!
22:15 – Stop at Sugar & Spice for Dinner and even do the 2nd Refill
23:15 – Meet Ganesh Balan for 10 minutes
23:45 – Cross Surat Bypass (Sea of Private buses entering NH8 from Surat now)
00:15 – Enter Ankleshwar
00:45 – Enter NH8 again after Golden Bridge and Bharuch
01:45 - Enter NE1
02:45 - Enter SP Ring Road
03:15 – Reach Gandhinagar Home

Best time to pass Surat when driving up:
Never Cross Surat after 12 midnight. Sea of buses in all colors and forms entering NH8 from Surat. Drive recklessly as usual, block all 3 lanes, do speeds of 110 easily (non Volvos) often cutting poor truckers! You need good temperament if you are driving this sector after such a long drive from Bangalore.

National Expressway 1 is 6 lane:
NE1 is now unofficially 6 lane only because you can see 100s of them using the shoulders to overtake, including private buses. Dread to think of those vehicles parked on shoulder to attend a flat tire. You will be murdered.

[RollingWheels]

Hello all planning to do a Bangalore Ahmedabad trip next week. Have done once from Bangalore to Mumbai in 2011. Beyond Mumbai is an unknown territory for me. Please update us on the road conditions, places to avoid and any bypasses which can help us negotiate Mumbai. My tentative plan is as follows:

Day 1 Bangalore to Satara or Pune.
Day 2 Satara/Pune to Ahmedabad.

Also please suggest good places for overnight stay with family at Satara or Pune preferably on the highways.

Any quick response would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by RollingWheels

road conditions

Remain good to very good throughout. Should not be your cause for any worry. Only advise is to do Mumbai-Surat in non peak hours so that you face less local traffic to negotiate.

Places to avoid and any bypasses which can help us negotiate Mumbai.

To Bypass Mumbai for NH8, you can follow the way points -

Expressway End - Thane Belapur Road - Airoli Bridge - Turn Right after Bridge for Eastern Expressway - Take Kapurbawadi (NH3 Jn) flyover at Thane and exit ramp marked for Surat/Ahmedabad - Drive on Ghodbunder Road for 16 kms and Turn right at Fountan Hotel signal for NH8.

Based on time of the day, you can asses realtime traffic on Googlemaps and take a call whether to take the Golden Bridge between Ankleshwar and Bharuch to avoid clogging on the Main Bridge over Narmada.

Also please suggest good places for overnight stay with family at Satara or Pune preferably on the highways.

At Satara, Mahendra Executive is a good option to stay which is bang on the highway on bypass and on right hand side.

If you plan to stay in Pune, the bypass again has good options like Sadanand & Ginger.

Also remember the fact that if you stay in Satara, you start very early so that you bypass the following before peak hours:

• Satara-Pune Local traffic
• Pune Bypass Traffic
• Traffic to bypass Mumbai altogether

[RollingWheels]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Remain good to very good throughout. Should not be your cause for any worry. Only advise is to do Mumbai-Surat in non peak hours so that you face less local traffic to negotiate.


To Bypass Mumbai for NH8, you can follow the way points -

Expressway End - Thane Belapur Road - Airoli Bridge - Turn Right after Bridge for Eastern Expressway - Take Kapurbawadi (NH3 Jn) flyover at Thane and exit ramp marked for Surat/Ahmedabad - Drive on Ghodbunder Road for 16 kms and Turn right at Fountan Hotel signal for NH8.

Based on time of the day, you can asses realtime traffic on Googlemaps and take a call whether to take the Golden Bridge between Ankleshwar and Bharuch to avoid clogging on the Main Bridge over Narmada.


At Satara, Mahendra Executive is a good option to stay which is bang on the highway on bypass and on right hand side.

If you plan to stay in Pune, the bypass again has good options like Sadanand & Ginger.

Also remember the fact that if you stay in Satara, you start very early so that you bypass the following before peak hours:

• Satara-Pune Local traffic
• Pune Bypass Traffic
• Traffic to bypass Mumbai altogether

Thank you so much for taking time out for such detailed feedback. With your inputs I am hoping my drive would be convenient. Once again thanks a lot.

[RollingWheels]

Hi All,
Completed Bangalore to Anand yesterday evening. All your inputs were really helpful for making it a smooth drive. So thank you all. Here are some more updates that can come in handy for people who want to take this route in near future -

Trip Details - Bangalore to Anand, Gujrat
Total Distance (door to door) - 1457.3 kms
Average Consumption - 16.5 kmpl (car was Fiat Linea T-Jet Petrol)
Average Speed 59 kmph (due to detours and bad traffic, we got good average of upto 70kmph till Mumbai)
Travel Time - 24.37 hrs (with an overnight break journey in Thane)

My observations -
- Bangalore to Mumbai Pune Expressway was a breeze
- Faced traffic problems in Mumbai as we hit Mumbai in peak evening hours, it slowed us down considerably
- Confusion of route due to insufficient signage on Thane-Belapur Road, leading to time loss. (still need to figure out if there is a better way to bypass Mumbai)
- Mumbai to Anand is one of the busiest NH we have come across in India. Felt like Bangalore-Mysore State Highway right uptil Surat, after that the traffic eases off a bit, till you hit National Expressway 1 for Anand and Ahmedabad.
- Construction of bridge over Narmada is in full swing. Heavy traffic pile-on on both sides of the road between Ankleshwar and Bharuch. Was helped by local vendors on the road to take the wrong side, and go below the highway on muddy track till Bharuch.
- Barring these bottlenecks, rest of the route is pretty good.

I have a request to make however. Thinking of going to my home-town from Anand if I get a chance depending upon my work here. Can someone suggest the best route options from Anand / Ahmedabad to Patna, Bihar. Road conditions and places to stay. Also, if there are better State Highway alternatives that are safe for women during late evening/night.

[Wanderers]

Originally Posted by RollingWheels

Hi All,
Thinking of going to my home-town from Anand if I get a chance depending upon my work here. Can someone suggest the best route options from Anand / Ahmedabad to Patna, Bihar. Road conditions and places to stay. Also, if there are better State Highway alternatives that are safe for women during late evening/night.

Hi,

I have done lot of Baroda-Patna trips during my 14 years tenure at Baroda.
There are mainly 2 routes. However with slight modification a third route has also come up but I have not tried it.

1. Anand-Godhara-Dahod-Indore-Bhopal-Jabalpur-Katni-Rewa- Varanasi- Mohania-Ara-Patna

2. Anand-Ahmedabad-Updaipur-Chittorgarh-Kishangarh-Jaipur-Dausa-Agra- Kanpur- Allahabad- Varanasi-Mohania-Ara-Patna

3. Anand-Ahmedabad-Udaipur-Chittorgarh- Kota- Jhansi-Allahabad (bypass Kanpur)- Varanasi- Mohania-Ara-Patna.

The 1st route is shortest but most time consuming. I have done route 2 several time with overnight stop at Agra/Bharatpur. Route 2 is safest. However please avoid night driving with family on Mohania-Ara route.

You can try the route 3 after checking the status of Chittorgarh-Kota- Jhansi-Kanpur route. It's part of EW corridor and expected to be completed.

[Harshavarthan]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

To Bypass Mumbai for NH8, you can follow the way points -

Expressway End - Thane Belapur Road - Airoli Bridge - Turn Right after Bridge for Eastern Expressway - Take Kapurbawadi (NH3 Jn) flyover at Thane and exit ramp marked for Surat/Ahmedabad - Drive on Ghodbunder Road for 16 kms and Turn right at Fountan Hotel signal for NH8.[/list]

About bypassing Mumbai, a map from some blog showed to take NH 4 via Kalamboli Link road (after crossing Kalamboli Flyover) after exiting Pune Mumbai Expressway. I'm now confused

I'll be crossing Mumbai post noon from South to North and which is better. Via NH 4 or via Thane - Belapur Road?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Harshavarthan

I'll be crossing Mumbai post noon from South to North and which is better. Via NH 4 or via Thane - Belapur Road?

Stick to Thane Belapur Road.

NH4 is not only in bad shape but will have very heavy freight traffic often crawling.

[paragsachania]

Interesting pictorial update on the new bridge on Narmada between Ankleshwar - Bharuch.

Photo Courtesy: Narmada Channel Page on FB.





Hoping that this one gets functional soon and make way (an easy and a fast one) for one of the most unpredictable sectors between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

[mpksuhas]

Few query on Bangalore - Vapi - Ahmedabad route.

• With a 04:00 AM start from Bangalore and quick (~30 mins) food breaks, is it possible to reach Vapi in 15 hours?
• Also, heard there is some road closure near Vasai Creek. Any updates on that?
• Any suggested bunks around Nippani on left side while headed North? I am aware of a BP bunk which is on right side of the road. Link
  
• For byepassing Mumbai I am thinking of taking the suggested route However, any specific reason for avoiding NH 48 till Thane in this section?
  
• With a 05:00 AM start from Vapi towards Ahmedabad, based on usual trend is it advisable to take Golden bridge (Considering that the new bridge is not open still)
  
• Is 6 hours descent timeline for Vapi - Ahmedabad town?