[iamitp]

So I also voted for Kerala, as having driven in almost 25 States in India, Kerala is the one I dread most due to the combination of Road design (narrowness), high vehicle density and State Bus drivers.

As pointed out by many BHPians, especially Malayalis, there are various factors for this such as topography, high income per capita, Unionization of State Bus drivers, State Govt. policies etc. - many of which aren't amendable at least in a short or medium term basis.

There is no denying the quality of surface and scenery on Kerala's roads but what's the point if you can't drive with peace of mind (safety) or purpose (slow pace).

I acknowledge a bias towards Kerala and Maharashtra in this poll due to where our forum members are based out of, but I would also like to highlight the fact that the same forum voted States like Tamil Nadu and UP having the best roads in an earlier poll.

[SeshSrini]

I would vote Karnataka as the worst. You have speed bumps appearing from nowhere that are not marked. Almost every highway you take has potholes too.

Originally Posted by iamitp

Now, time to highlight the State with the worst highways in the country. As before, the objective of this thread is to quantify your personal experiences and read what the numbers have to say.

[GTO]

Thanks to Harikumar for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this page!

Dear Sirs,

I am Harikumar, editor of vikasmudra.com - a portal on infrastructure and energy - owned by the Kerala government contractors' association. I found your survey on the best and worst roads in India interesting. So I wrote a story on it in our portal. Here is the link to it. https://vikasmudra.com/2022/03/02/po...ways-in-india/

I agree with your conclusions.

Regards,
Harikumar

[josephilip]

The answer is Kerala.
Anyone who have ever driven on KL roads know what a regular commute or a weekend trip is like. Exceptionally narrow roads with very few divided roads. Accidents are a common scene during our daily drives.
The road surface has been better lately, but the infrastructure is very weak considering the amount of vehicles on the road. Cruising at 70 kmph is nearly impossible on most SH's and NH's. We do not get the highway mileage on our cars, atleast not in daytime. Hopefully things will improve but to be brutally honest, I don't think it's gonna get much better

[shortbread]

I am from Kerala and happened to drive from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad recently. Was stunned by how good the highways are; Jealous!

Driving on Kerala's highways is like driving through standard rush hour city traffic, but doing so for hundreds and hundreds of kilometres!

For the state administration, good roads mean one that has a smooth surface and is bereft of potholes, no other parameter counts, width, vehicle density, markings, none whatsoever. A fresh layer of tar after each monsoon and job done.

Driving from the commercial capital Kochi towards the north, ie. Malabar is bearable, few stretches have two-lane roads. A very very early start and one can make some progress. For some reason, even the drivers seem to be more humane.

On the other hand, driving from Kochi down south to Trivandrum is a suicide mission. Your clutch, brakes, transmission all take a beating. that is if you're still surviving. Narrow roads, choc a bloc with traffic and the reckless state transport bus for whom human life has little regard. A recent episode where a state bus ran over two youngsters on a bike on purpose and killed them.

Once you reach your destination after a 4-5 hour drive it's a sigh of relief, one thanks to their lucky stars.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by josephilip

The answer is Kerala.
Anyone who have ever driven on KL roads know what a regular commute or a weekend trip is like. Exceptionally narrow roads with very few divided roads. Accidents are a common scene during our daily drives.
The road surface has been better lately, but the infrastructure is very weak considering the amount of vehicles on the road. Cruising at 70 kmph is nearly impossible on most SH's and NH's. We do not get the highway mileage on our cars, atleast not in daytime. Hopefully things will improve but to be brutally honest, I don't think it's gonna get much better

Central govt NHAI is working on building a nice 4-laned NH66 (Kanyakumari - Thiruvanantapuram - Goa - Mumbai coastal highway). Work is in progress, see below video for a beautiful capture by drone video ...

https://youtu.be/hED62i9SD6o

Since KL is a narrow, long state, once the 4/6-laning of the above NH66 is completed that alone should help improve the survey-results for KL I feel.

[stanjohn123]

I'm actually a bit surprised that Kerala is topping the list for the worst highway roads in India. I'm from the Kerala TN border and according to my location , especially the old NH 47 work of Kerala is almost 100 times better than TN's side. Even the new NH 66 4 lane Highway work is being done at a much faster rate in Kerala than TN. I just did a vlog of it today here

https://youtu.be/cCkr0wgltVQ

and you can see for yourself the vast difference between KL and TN roads at least at my location.

The toll roads are ofcourse better in TN , which is because we pay a lot of money for it, nearly 3,000 Rs for a 2 way trip from Kanyakumari to Chennai which is absurd.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I'm actually a bit surprised that Kerala is topping the list for the worst highway roads in India. I'm from the Kerala TN border and according to my location , especially the old NH 47 work of Kerala is almost 100 times better than TN's side. Even the new NH 66 4 lane Highway work is being done at a much faster rate in Kerala than TN. I just did a vlog of it today here https://Youtu.be/cCkr0wgltVQ and you can see for yourself the vast difference between KL and TN roads at least at my location.

The toll roads are ofcourse better in TN , which is because we pay a lot of money for it, nearly 3,000 Rs for a 2 way trip from Kanyakumari to Chennai which is absurd.

If you go through the thread, most of us have complained on the width of the road and traffic density, not the road surface per se. The problem in Kerala is that the roads are narrower compared to other states (NH included). The current highways in Kerala are already carrying way more traffic than they were designed for.

The Aluva - Ernakulam 4 laned road was opened circa 1995. The same road continues to handle traffic 25 years later. It should have been made 6 or 8 lanes by now but nothing has been done so far. The Seaport Airport road continues to be stuck at Kalamassery. No progress from there. This is the essence of the issue.

NH 66 6 laning is a very welcome move. Good that it is happening at least now. The same thing should be done from Ernakulam to Walayar. At least 8 lanes from Kundanoor till Mannuthy and 6 lanes from Mannuthy to Walayar. This is essential for smooth flow of traffic for the next 10 years.

[rohitoasis]

I would be the only person in this forum to be unhappy if this quoted part actually develops. 30 years back, i was so fascinated at the view from our house overlooking the then NH47, that my dad went ahead selected our current house among the shortlisted houses.

Originally Posted by longhorn

***and 6 lanes from Mannuthy to Walayar. This is essential for smooth flow of traffic for the next 10 years.

30 years down, NH544 has already eaten most of our house with the 4 lanes. Improvement to a 6 lane and 75% of our house will be demolished.

[binand]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

The toll roads are ofcourse better in TN , which is because we pay a lot of money for it, nearly 3,000 Rs for a 2 way trip from Kanyakumari to Chennai which is absurd.

I for one will happily pay Rs. 1.50-2.00 per km of tolled roads if they are of the quality seen in TN.

Also, you should take the (relatively short, 120 km) NH 966 between Palakkad and Calicut. It is a major connecting road between NH 544 and NH 66 - in fact, the quickest way for traffic entering Kerala via the Walayar pass to connect to the Malabar districts. The only way to cover this distance in less than 4 hours during daytime is to drive like the private buses of Kerala do.

Originally Posted by longhorn

At least 8 lanes from Kundanoor till Mannuthy and 6 lanes from Mannuthy to Walayar. This is essential for smooth flow of traffic for the next 10 years.

Personally speaking - I'm not a fan of more than 3 lanes each carriageway. I'd rather they identified alternate alignments for multiple roads from point to point of the need arises.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I'm actually a bit surprised that Kerala is topping the list for the worst highway roads in India. I'm from the Kerala TN border and according to my location , especially the old NH 47 work of Kerala is almost 100 times better than TN's side.

Erm.. Just a couple of months back, road conditions were terrible from Balaramapuram till Aralvaimozhi.

Agree that surface quality has always been superb on the Kerala side. The rubberised(?) tar roads of the 2000s were not just baby bum super smooth, but lasted almost a decade. Ofcourse, contractors were not happy. While I would say TN highways are superb, I mean the NHAI maintained ones. The interior roads of TN are poor and many of the state highways (am talking about five years back) are just average roads, which for some reason meanders even if the land is desert like flat and in some seasons will turn into one lane, as the locals will enroach upon one whole lane to dry their produce.

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Even the new NH 66 4 lane Highway work is being done at a much faster rate in Kerala than TN.....
The toll roads are ofcourse better in TN , which is because we pay a lot of money for it, nearly 3,000 Rs for a 2 way trip from Kanyakumari to Chennai which is absurd.

No offence, but Kanyakumari IMO has always gotten stepmotherly treatment from Madras/Chennai, regardless of who is in power. One major infra development that happened recently was the much needed Marthandam and Parvathipuram flyovers, but we saw how the forces to be ousted the man responsible for it in the next election. The Karode- Kanyakumari NH66 stretch is also at a stalemate I believe, with L&T abandoning the works due to non-cooperation from the authorities. If the road opens, we (in TVPM) would be able to get on the NH7/44 within minutes instead of the excruciating 2+ hours presently.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by binand

I for one will happily pay Rs. 1.50-2.00 per km of tolled roads if they are of the quality seen in TN..

Me too. Though I believe the tolls are actually less than that, about Re 1 per km. I did a 1000 km Blore-Mumbai trip in June 2020, it cost me Rs 950 in tolls (incl the MPE which is the most expensive). That works out to about Re 1 per km.

If you're not traveling on MPE kind of roads, the toll may well come out to less than Re 1 per km. Its worth it.

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by longhorn

NH 66 6 laning is a very welcome move. Good that it is happening at least now. The same thing should be done from Ernakulam to Walayar. At least 8 lanes from Kundanoor till Mannuthy and 6 lanes from Mannuthy to Walayar. This is essential for smooth flow of traffic for the next 10 years.

Yeah I know Ernakkum side is heavily congested but my POV was from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari, where the roads have become much better till Kaliakkavilai , the roads are wider as well. The only issue still is in the Balaramapuram area due to land encroachments.

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

30 years down, NH544 has already eaten most of our house with the 4 lanes. Improvement to a 6 lane and 75% of our house will be demolished.

I believe you get adequately compensated by your govt. In TN peoples lands are highly undervalued by the govt and they don't get the market rate even.

Originally Posted by binand

I for one will happily pay Rs. 1.50-2.00 per km of tolled roads if they are of the quality seen in TN.

Personally speaking - I'm not a fan of more than 3 lanes each carriageway. I'd rather they identified alternate alignments for multiple roads from point to point of the need arises.

I don't think govts should take toll booth as the solution. If thats the only way to give us decent roads , they should immediately stop collecting road tax from us for all our vehicles or refund that money back to us.

Originally Posted by DicKy

Erm.. Just a couple of months back, road conditions were terrible from Balaramapuram till Aralvaimozhi.

Agree that surface quality has always been superb on the Kerala side. The rubberised(?) tar roads of the 2000s were not just baby bum super smooth, but lasted almost a decade. Ofcourse, contractors were not happy. While I would say TN highways are superb, I mean the NHAI maintained ones. The interior roads of TN are poor and many of the state highways (am talking about five years back) are just average roads, which for some reason meanders even if the land is desert like flat and in some seasons will turn into one lane, as the locals will enroach upon one whole lane to dry their produce.



No offence, but Kanyakumari IMO has always gotten stepmotherly treatment from Madras/Chennai, regardless of who is in power. One major infra development that happened recently was the much needed Marthandam and Parvathipuram flyovers, but we saw how the forces to be ousted the man responsible for it in the next election. The Karode- Kanyakumari NH66 stretch is also at a stalemate I believe, with L&T abandoning the works due to non-cooperation from the authorities. If the road opens, we (in TVPM) would be able to get on the NH7/44 within minutes instead of the excruciating 2+ hours presently.

True, from Parassala till Balaramapuram it was bad till last month but it was bad only after the heavy rains and lasted for less than 2 months. They fixed the road immediately, only some stretches of Balaramapuram work has to be done, they completed the patch work there though.

Yes you are absolutely right about Kanyakumari and what they did to the leader who brought the 2 steel bridges to kanyakumari and helped reduce traffic drastically in Marthandam and Nagercoil.

Originally Posted by vharihar

Me too. Though I believe the tolls are actually less than that, about Re 1 per km. I did a 1000 km Blore-Mumbai trip in June 2020, it cost me Rs 950 in tolls (incl the MPE which is the most expensive). That works out to about Re 1 per km.

If you're not traveling on MPE kind of roads, the toll may well come out to less than Re 1 per km. Its worth it.

They increased the rates a lot now and there is no more 2 way toll, you have to pay each time. I'm talking about the KK - Chennai toll. This is why I'm against tolls. They can just keep collecting road taxes on one end and on the other end keep increasing the toll charges as per their wish.

[binand]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I don't think govts should take toll booth as the solution. If thats the only way to give us decent roads , they should immediately stop collecting road tax from us for all our vehicles or refund that money back to us.

This is not the right way to think about it. To start with, India has about 65L km of roads of which only about 1.5L km is national highways (and another 3L km is state highways). The remaining 60L+ km of roads also requires maintenance, for which funds are needed - and that money must come from somewhere, where else but from government revenues?

Second, road tax is not some sort of payment we make for usable roads. It is just one of the (several) contributions we make to government coffers which are put to use as per the need of the day, government policy and a myriad of other factors. I don't always agree with the way government money is raised or spent, but that does not mean I wish for no government spending at all.

Third, tolled roads are good. GQ, MPEW etc. are all examples. I believe a major reason why Kerala leads this poll is the state's steadfast refusal to collect tolls. You cannot wish away the fact that one can drive the 200km from Bangalore to Chitradurga in less than 3 hours but the same 200km from Trivandrum to Ernakulam will require closer to 6. With tolls we have future cash flows based on which funds can be raised today; which would lead to better quality and capacity roads than what government grants alone can provide.

Fourth: no, tolls aren't the only way to give us decent roads but they are the equitable way. They are charged on actual users and are proportional to the amount of usage. It is not ideal but the best we can have given current resources and tech.

Fifth - a lot of what I say above is idealistic; one can see overcharging, nepotism, unreasonable toll exemptions, reasonable exemptions not given, bad tolled roads, good non-tolled roads... any number of counterexamples. But I don't think any of those change the basic argument.

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

... there is no more 2 way toll, you have to pay each time.

I used FASTag all the way, and I am talking about one-way toll system only (ie. I didn't get the benefit of reduced roundtrip tolls). Yet it worked out to Re 1 per km. I don't believe it has changed much from June 2020. If at all, it may reduce a bit in the years to come since Gadkari has been talking about increasing the minimum separation between toll plazas.

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I don't think govts should take toll booth as the solution. If thats the only way to give us decent roads , they should immediately stop collecting road tax from us for all our vehicles or refund that money ...

That I can maybe agree somewhat. But I think it's too much to expect that much of a quantum jump in good governance so soon after our highway program kicked off (just 20 years ago by ABV) :-). But I'm hopeful one day we'll get to that state.