Which State has the worst Highways in India?

chinkara · 15th February 2022, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Haryana, dear friends. We are just as bad!!

The surfaces are not great in KMP etc. agreed, but you need to travel around a bit more I feel. In Haryana, even SH are decent - not great, but decent with occasional rough areas. Yes, Rajasthan, Gujarat or TN is far better, but if you compare with UP (non-expressways) or even Punjab we are ok I think.

Gurgaon / Faridabad internal roads are a different matter.

The absolute worst roads I had traveled in were around Gwalior and Rewa in MP (Rewa probably being worse). I heard MP roads have improved beyond recognition - wonder how they are now.

vb-saan · 15th February 2022, 15:21

My experience of driving in India is limited to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. And in this poll, I can see that Kerala is the surefire winner (expectedly so). In my opinion, none of the roads in Kerala can be really classified as a highway/expressway. For example, the NH 544 between Thrissur and Kochi is just a 4-lane road with a junction/traffic signal (and zebra crosswalk!) at every 2-3 kms. NH 66 in Kerala is mostly a 2-lane road, with small towns and intersections/junctions peppered throughout the stretch.

I did the Thrissur-Trivandrum stretch in last December, and the roads were pretty good. It can be quite an enjoyable drive (especially via Kottayam) if you remove the notion that you are driving through a national highway, and it will take around 8-9 hours to cover something like 275kms

rajshenoy · 15th February 2022, 15:41

Having grown up in coastal Karnataka in 90s, I used to admire of the beautiful condition of roads once we entered Kerala(from Mangalore) and wonder why Karnataka govt couldn't match it. But it is total opposite of that today.

My experience with driving on Kerala roads are that the roads are unable to take the density of traffic. I fail to understand the govt apathy in improving the infrastructure. If the density is more, it does require widening of roads, more bypass etc.

Hopefully the Kerala govt tries to catch up with neighbouring states.

chinkara · 15th February 2022, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by SideView

Tbh kerala the highways are not bad but it is the congestion that is bad.

If one travels during off hours you will sail smoothly.

What are off hours? I have travelled till 12 PM / 1 AM and it has always been bad with some weird stunts by buses, LCVs and bikes making dangerous overtaking maneuvers.

It was far more stressful than overnight Aurangabad Mumbai say.

SideView · 15th February 2022, 21:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinkara

What are off hours? I have travelled till 12 PM / 1 AM and it has always been bad with some weird stunts by buses, LCVs and bikes making dangerous overtaking maneuvers.

It was far more stressful than overnight Aurangabad Mumbai say.

I would say 6- 11 in mornings especially sunday ( i do the TVM-KTM) stretch, travel is not bad.
But speeds are anyhow restricted due to speedcams in this stretch( nothing to do with road condition) i have done this stretch in 2.5hrs (lockdown in place) to 4.5 hrs.(heavy traffic)

What I was trying to highlight was even if there was zero traffic there are roads elsewhere in pathetic conditions that doesnt allow you to go fast, which has nothing to do with road conditions.

Inshort: Highway road conditions are fine, but highway experience/planning is bad in kerala.

TorqueMonster · 15th February 2022, 23:32

As a Keralite, I'll say Kerala has the worst highways. Firstly, the road surface is good, no major potholes etc. The problem lies with the traffic. And the narrow roads. Ernakulam to Trivandrum is a nightmare of a drive, I was totally scared at times since there are vehicles trying to overtake me while I'm in the middle of an overtake, while a bus comes from the other side. You have the helmetless triples riding people in their Dio's and Dukes overtaking from the left out of nowhere (I do not mean to offend either group of bike owners), and the lesser said about KSRTC the better. I am someone who was a regular commuter on their buses, but they just traumatize newbie drivers like me with turns, going into the smallest gaps and not giving way. And all of this mess happening between 2 lanes of a glorified highway.

And then comes the speed limit cameras. Firstly, why is there even a speed camera in a road that is at most 2 lanes narrow? Secondly, there are too many of them to catch you off guard.

Even for bigger highways, like the bypasses in Trivandrum, they are mostly under construction. Going to the beach involves now going through one side of the highway, bits of service road with barely a few kilometres as an actual highway. And for roads just slightly narrower than an average service road, there are too many toll booths.

I just hope the roads were a bit bigger, land acquisition in a small state with a high population density is an issue, but at least a bit bigger road is certainly a need. And most importantly, disciplined traffic.

binand · 16th February 2022, 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorqueMonster

Firstly, why is there even a speed camera in a road that is at most 2 lanes narrow? Secondly, there are too many of them to catch you off guard.

I would have expected strict speed control is more required on such road than on a wide, dual-carriageway highway. If you drive within speed limits it does not matter how many cameras there are. If you habitually exceed the limit then the more cameras there are, the more likely you'll be caught.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorqueMonster

And for roads just slightly narrower than an average service road, there are too many toll booths.

I think this statement needs a reality check. As far as I know there are just a handful of toll booths on the national highways of Kerala and the state government has a stated policy of not collecting toll on the roads they maintain. A few exceptions exist, true.

iamitp · 16th February 2022, 10:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by SideView

I feel this poll is wrong, we should see which has the best and see which gets the most votes.

I guess you didn't read the opening post, we've already polled for the best! and yes, it is TN.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...ays-india.html (Which State has the best Highways in India?)

Raghu M · 16th February 2022, 10:42

I think Maharashtra and Kerala will fight tooth and nail, but Maharashtra may have a photo finish win. I travel to Shirdi regularly and my God, as soon as you leave Telangana, you see how pathetic the roads are. There are patches all over, roads have different color too (new patch vs. old patch) and the pot holes and the size of them will make you jump up and down even in the best of Volvos. This is one major reason, I would not drive to Shirdi (I would love to, but the kids will not enjoy it one bit).

Kerala on the other hand has national highways (I mean seriously?). They are not qualified to be state highways. The size is best suited for one car and you can't touch speeds of 60 kmph without any fear of a bus or a heavy vehicle scratching you out of nowhere. The roads do not have many potholes but the design is not a drivers delight. I understand the topography has it's challenges but still, the infra is nowhere close to good standards. Also, since it is a major tourist destination, they ought to have better roads.

Mohitkumaar · 16th February 2022, 12:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tgo

Voted Haryana.

The KMP, Eastern Peripheral section in Haryana are some of worst examples of roadwork. Sagging roads near culverts give you drops of almost 4-6 inches at interface of the tarmac and the concrete. With speeds you are supposed to be doing, bent rims are the least of your concerns, think more on the lines of totalling your cars.

Highways connecting Rohtak, Hissar, Gurgaon, and Bahadurgarh (may have missed a few more) have very sharp turns, and vague signage. Add to that the muscle men at tool plazas, both, in the cars and the booth settling arguments. Also parts of these highways were prone to flooding till a few years ago.

Totally agree, We have to pay toll at Sonepat/Panipat/Gharonda/Karnal etc and road is absolute rubbish with roadworks every few kms.

rajivr1612 · 16th February 2022, 12:10

I am a Keralite settled in Chennai, so I do lots of Chennai Kerala trips. I really like driving on the twisty roads in Kerala. For me two reasons why my vote goes to Kerala -

1) Though road quality and lane markings are generally good, it's the lack of divided roads that halts progress.

2) Kerala road contractors don't know how a road should seamlessly connect to the start and end bridge or culvert. 99% of these have razor sharp edges projecting out with huge gradient difference. Just drive over the innumerable bridges on the AC road and you will understand. Even the ones on the way to Kochi are no less dangerous.

aswin ajith · 16th February 2022, 14:04

No matter what one says, KL hands down has the WORST roads in India.

It takes anywhere between a painstaking 11 to 12 hours to drive 420 odd kms from Kasargod to Kochi. No one who drives sanely can maintain an average speed of more than 30 kmph. Further, 220 kms from Kochi to Trivandrum takes 5 to 5.5 hours. The only slight relief is the stretch from Mannuthy in Thrissur to Vadakancherry and from then on till Walayar and this is only in terms of road surface, there are a 100 other problems to talk about but then that is OT.

We expect roads to get better as each year passes but then here it keeps getting worse. On long drives, going out of state, I always make it a point to start at the earliest possible time (4 to 4:30 AM) with the sole of aim leaving the state and crossing borders as soon as possible.

Rant over.

siddhant · 16th February 2022, 14:20

In Odisha, several parts of NH-55 between Cuttack-Angul-Sambalpur are extremely bad and have been like that for 4-5 years now. Even several stretches of NH-16 between Manguli-Balasore are terrible with construction and diversions. Odisha has some good highways too but these two see the most traffic.

srini1785 · 16th February 2022, 15:01

Its a rhetorical question.

Yours is as bad as mine.

SS-Traveller · 16th February 2022, 21:02

There was a time, perhaps 20 years ago, when I would have voted for Bihar, eyes closed. Truck drivers on the Delhi-Kolkata route used to say Dilli se Calcutta jaise sadak nahin ho, agar beech mein Bihar na ho (there's no road like the one from Delhi to Kolkata, if Bihar wasn't in between).

Today, I would rate highways to be the worst if I need to drive over large parts of it in lower gears, at speeds of 20-30 kmph or even less, even when there is no traffic. I have not been to most of the North-Eastern States, such as eastern Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland Manipur and Mizoram, but I believe the National Highways running through these States are that bad, and almost impassable without 4wd during the rainy season. Correct me if I am wrong about the current condition of these highways, which is why I am desisting from voting at present.

View Poll Results: Which State has the worst Highways in India?
Andhra Pradesh	18	2.11%
Arunachal Pradesh	4	0.47%
Assam	6	0.70%
Bihar	35	4.09%
Chhattisgarh	4	0.47%
Goa	3	0.35%
Gujarat	2	0.23%
Haryana	30	3.51%
Himachal Pradesh	5	0.58%
Jharkhand	3	0.35%
Karnataka	54	6.32%
Kerala	324	37.89%
Madhya Pradesh	15	1.75%
Maharashtra	245	28.65%
Manipur	2	0.23%
Meghalaya	1	0.12%
Mizoram	2	0.23%
Nagaland	7	0.82%
Odisha	4	0.47%
Punjab	5	0.58%
Rajasthan	3	0.35%
Sikkim	4	0.47%
Tamil Nadu	4	0.47%
Telangana	1	0.12%
Tripura	0	0%
Uttar Pradesh	28	3.27%
Uttarakhand	6	0.70%
West Bengal	40	4.68%
Voters: 855. You may not vote on this poll

15th February 2022, 15:21	#32
vb-saan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: S'pore/Thrissur Posts: 7,274 Thanked: 12,405 Times	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? My experience of driving in India is limited to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. And in this poll, I can see that Kerala is the surefire winner (expectedly so). In my opinion, none of the roads in Kerala can be really classified as a highway/expressway. For example, the NH 544 between Thrissur and Kochi is just a 4-lane road with a junction/traffic signal (and zebra crosswalk!) at every 2-3 kms. NH 66 in Kerala is mostly a 2-lane road, with small towns and intersections/junctions peppered throughout the stretch. I did the Thrissur-Trivandrum stretch in last December, and the roads were pretty good. It can be quite an enjoyable drive (especially via Kottayam) if you remove the notion that you are driving through a national highway, and it will take around 8-9 hours to cover something like 275kms
	(14) Thanks

15th February 2022, 15:41	#33
rajshenoy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 2,885 Thanked: 2,230 Times View My Garage	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? Having grown up in coastal Karnataka in 90s, I used to admire of the beautiful condition of roads once we entered Kerala(from Mangalore) and wonder why Karnataka govt couldn't match it. But it is total opposite of that today. My experience with driving on Kerala roads are that the roads are unable to take the density of traffic. I fail to understand the govt apathy in improving the infrastructure. If the density is more, it does require widening of roads, more bypass etc. Hopefully the Kerala govt tries to catch up with neighbouring states.
	(1) Thanks

15th February 2022, 23:32	#36
TorqueMonster BHPian Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 175 Thanked: 800 Times	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? As a Keralite, I'll say Kerala has the worst highways. Firstly, the road surface is good, no major potholes etc. The problem lies with the traffic. And the narrow roads. Ernakulam to Trivandrum is a nightmare of a drive, I was totally scared at times since there are vehicles trying to overtake me while I'm in the middle of an overtake, while a bus comes from the other side. You have the helmetless triples riding people in their Dio's and Dukes overtaking from the left out of nowhere (I do not mean to offend either group of bike owners), and the lesser said about KSRTC the better. I am someone who was a regular commuter on their buses, but they just traumatize newbie drivers like me with turns, going into the smallest gaps and not giving way. And all of this mess happening between 2 lanes of a glorified highway. And then comes the speed limit cameras. Firstly, why is there even a speed camera in a road that is at most 2 lanes narrow? Secondly, there are too many of them to catch you off guard. Even for bigger highways, like the bypasses in Trivandrum, they are mostly under construction. Going to the beach involves now going through one side of the highway, bits of service road with barely a few kilometres as an actual highway. And for roads just slightly narrower than an average service road, there are too many toll booths. I just hope the roads were a bit bigger, land acquisition in a small state with a high population density is an issue, but at least a bit bigger road is certainly a need. And most importantly, disciplined traffic.
	(5) Thanks

16th February 2022, 10:42	#39
Raghu M Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Hyderbad Posts: 1,007 Thanked: 3,535 Times	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? I think Maharashtra and Kerala will fight tooth and nail, but Maharashtra may have a photo finish win. I travel to Shirdi regularly and my God, as soon as you leave Telangana, you see how pathetic the roads are. There are patches all over, roads have different color too (new patch vs. old patch) and the pot holes and the size of them will make you jump up and down even in the best of Volvos. This is one major reason, I would not drive to Shirdi (I would love to, but the kids will not enjoy it one bit). Kerala on the other hand has national highways (I mean seriously?). They are not qualified to be state highways. The size is best suited for one car and you can't touch speeds of 60 kmph without any fear of a bus or a heavy vehicle scratching you out of nowhere. The roads do not have many potholes but the design is not a drivers delight. I understand the topography has it's challenges but still, the infra is nowhere close to good standards. Also, since it is a major tourist destination, they ought to have better roads.
	(2) Thanks

16th February 2022, 12:10	#41
rajivr1612 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Chennai Posts: 617 Thanked: 767 Times	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? I am a Keralite settled in Chennai, so I do lots of Chennai Kerala trips. I really like driving on the twisty roads in Kerala. For me two reasons why my vote goes to Kerala - 1) Though road quality and lane markings are generally good, it's the lack of divided roads that halts progress. 2) Kerala road contractors don't know how a road should seamlessly connect to the start and end bridge or culvert. 99% of these have razor sharp edges projecting out with huge gradient difference. Just drive over the innumerable bridges on the AC road and you will understand. Even the ones on the way to Kochi are no less dangerous.
	(3) Thanks

16th February 2022, 14:04	#42
aswin ajith BHPian Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: KL 39 Posts: 144 Thanked: 396 Times	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? No matter what one says, KL hands down has the WORST roads in India. It takes anywhere between a painstaking 11 to 12 hours to drive 420 odd kms from Kasargod to Kochi. No one who drives sanely can maintain an average speed of more than 30 kmph. Further, 220 kms from Kochi to Trivandrum takes 5 to 5.5 hours. The only slight relief is the stretch from Mannuthy in Thrissur to Vadakancherry and from then on till Walayar and this is only in terms of road surface, there are a 100 other problems to talk about but then that is OT. We expect roads to get better as each year passes but then here it keeps getting worse. On long drives, going out of state, I always make it a point to start at the earliest possible time (4 to 4:30 AM) with the sole of aim leaving the state and crossing borders as soon as possible. Rant over.
	(1) Thanks

16th February 2022, 14:20	#43
siddhant BHPian Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 95 Thanked: 243 Times View My Garage	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? In Odisha, several parts of NH-55 between Cuttack-Angul-Sambalpur are extremely bad and have been like that for 4-5 years now. Even several stretches of NH-16 between Manguli-Balasore are terrible with construction and diversions. Odisha has some good highways too but these two see the most traffic.
	() Thanks

16th February 2022, 15:01	#44
srini1785 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: bang Posts: 878 Thanked: 3,117 Times	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? Its a rhetorical question. Yours is as bad as mine.
	(3) Thanks

16th February 2022, 21:02	#45
SS-Traveller Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 8,164 Thanked: 27,144 Times View My Garage	Re: Which State has the worst Highways in India? There was a time, perhaps 20 years ago, when I would have voted for Bihar, eyes closed. Truck drivers on the Delhi-Kolkata route used to say Dilli se Calcutta jaise sadak nahin ho, agar beech mein Bihar na ho (there's no road like the one from Delhi to Kolkata, if Bihar wasn't in between). Today, I would rate highways to be the worst if I need to drive over large parts of it in lower gears, at speeds of 20-30 kmph or even less, even when there is no traffic. I have not been to most of the North-Eastern States, such as eastern Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland Manipur and Mizoram, but I believe the National Highways running through these States are that bad, and almost impassable without 4wd during the rainy season. Correct me if I am wrong about the current condition of these highways, which is why I am desisting from voting at present.
	(3) Thanks