[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

......some fast four-lane and six-lane highways, some charming single lane state highways, and then some special places such as Hampi, all within an easy reach from Bangalore on a weekend!

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

It appears than NH50 isn't 4 lane all the way. Is this correct?
.

Speaking of the fast Hampi expressway, here are a couple of pics of the road from my road trip this weekend. Must say that it was an even more enjoyable experience cruising on this fresh piece of butter smooth tarmac than I expected. Was able to maintain consistent cruising speeds of 100-110 kmph on NH 50 given that the traffic was very sparse. Great to see high quality roads like this being made in India.

Took the Chitradurga route to Hampi and other than the monster speedbreakers around Sandur, it was a lovely drive overall. Had lunch at the Sandur palace (we were really enamored by the pics on this thread and wanted to see the place firsthand), it is indeed a superb property and great for a luxurious and peaceful weekend

Of course, on the return journey, the last 30-40 kms to Bangalore through Neelamangala had heavy traffic, with many people getting back to the city on Saturday evening.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

It appears than NH50 isn't 4 lane all the way. Is this correct?

I had done this stretch to Hospet back in 2016 and do remember work being done for 4 lane. There were quite a few nasty speed breakers on the way but being in a VW Vento, it was not so difficult to clear them.

There is a bridge like structure visible in the distance in a few pictures of the reservoir. Do you know what that is or what it carries? I assume a pipe or something.

Thanks for sharing.

I drove today to Aurangabad via Hospet Vijayapura and Sholapur.

The road till Hospet is fully done with a very small diversion as others mentioned.

Hospet Vijayapura is also done but marking and final surfacing yet to be done at many sections. What is more irritating is that the entire Hospet Vijayapura although 4 laned has multiple speedbreakers at almost every break in the median and at times 2 of them even it it means the median breaks are spaced 100 meters apart.

Chitraduraga Hospet is nearly done with excellent marking. But when I later drove Sholapur Aurangabad via Osmanabad Beed, I realised what a brilliant piece of road this is. Excellent surface, perfect banking, very well done road marking and signage and above all, consistently working FASTag booths that every booth I passed (around 3 or 4) opened the barrier almost instantly that I never even had to bring my speed to zero.

I was talking to another friend on how if Durga Hospet is referred to "Expressway", the Sholapur Aurangabad should be called as "Runway".

Some eye candy for us roadies:

[ampere]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I drove today to Aurangabad via Hospet Vijayapura and Sholapur.

So you mean even Sholapur-Aurangabad is now fully 4-lane? Brilliant! Now this is one GREAT option to Central India (and up North) and one that avoids the crowded GQ.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Speaking of the fast Hampi expressway, here are a couple of pics of the road from my road trip this weekend. Must say that it was an even more enjoyable experience cruising on this fresh piece of butter smooth tarmac than I expected. Was able to maintain consistent cruising speeds of 100-110 kmph on NH 50 given that the traffic was very sparse. Great to see high quality roads like this being made in India.

Great. The photos look nice. I agree with you. I was also pleasantly surprised by how good these new roads are (both Hampi Expressway and the Kudligi to Sandur state highway). Anyways, next time also try the Hiriyur-Challakere-Bellary road. That is a bit longer and will take maybe 30 minutes more, but is more scenic. You get some really nice views of boulders and landscapes. And even there the road surface is equally good (just that you pass through a couple of towns and that slows you down; but otherwise that road is fantastic too!)

Originally Posted by paragsachania

But when I later drove Sholapur Aurangabad via Osmanabad Beed, I realised what a brilliant piece of road this is. Excellent surface, perfect banking, very well done road marking and signage and above all, consistently working FASTag booths that every booth I passed (around 3 or 4) opened the barrier almost instantly that I never even had to bring my speed to zero.
I was talking to another friend on how if Durga Hospet is referred to "Expressway", the Sholapur Aurangabad should be called as "Runway".

Thanks Parag for this tip. Although I have never driven on Hospet to Solapur stretch, I have driven from Solapur to Osmanabad in 2019, and I totally agree with you. That was a lovely road to drive on.

Man, this discussion is tempting me now to plan a drive all the way to Aurangabad :-)

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ampere

So you mean even Sholapur-Aurangabad is now fully 4-lane? Brilliant! Now this is one GREAT option to Central India (and up North) and one that avoids the crowded GQ.

Yes. Fully done till 15km before Aurangabad Municipal limits.

A "Good" option to drive up North, especially Indore as well. However, when it comes to facilities and stopovers, this will fare lower than Hyderabad Nagpur also, especially the Durga Hospet Vijayapura Sholapur part. Nothing really worthwhile except limited options.

I went inside Hospet town for breakfast and that place was closed. Then seeing recommendation for NH50, I headed there and that too was closed. I was then thinking to stop by at a Dhaba and then I found this and marked it too.



Secondly, Vijayapura to Sholapur is messy. Incomplete 4 lane work, lot of traffic, slow progress. However not bad as western India highways.

Lastly, Sholapur has no proper bypass. There are multiple options but I took the route inside city and I was out in 45 minutes.

Sholapur Aurangabad has decently lined up facilities akin to Kolhapur Pune. You will regularly see hotels and hence no real need to plan.

I could easily do Yelahanka To Aurangabad in exactly 12 hours with 3 stops and around 4 police checking. All this without exceeding 120. I am trying to get the log readings from my device and post detailed update later on the relevant thread.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Man, this discussion is tempting me now to plan a drive all the way to Aurangabad :-)

Come over Doc. And we drive back together although I am not sure if I will do Bombay Pune from here and return via GQ .

[PrideRed]

Is this the hotel where film shootings happen? Looks familiar. Rooms look elegant and seem to have that old world charm.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

However, when it comes to facilities and stopovers, this will fare lower than Hyderabad Nagpur also, especially the Durga Hospet Vijayapura Sholapur part. Nothing really worthwhile except limited options.

This is true even for Solapur-Osmanabad section. I remember from my 2019 drive that we found absolutely nothing which was good enough for a clean pit-stop on that section. I think availability of facilities still remains one main advantage of GQs. I have found that whenever we traveled outside of GQ, regardless of which state or part of the country, the facilities remain a big gamble. If you know a specific place on such roads, then it is great. But otherwise finding a place for a clean family stop is often a challenge.

Come over Doc. And we drive back together although I am not sure if I will do Bombay Pune from here and return via GQ .

Would have definitely loved to do that and join you! But unfortunately not possible this time. Have a nice and safe drive back!

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Is this the hotel where film shootings happen? Looks familiar. Rooms look elegant and seem to have that old world charm.

Not sure about this. But given how picturesque the palace is and given that it is easily accessible and has all modern amenities too, I will not be surprised at all if this is popular for movie shoots.

[deepfreak15]

Hey Doc! Lovely crisp an concise travelogue. Trust you to go off the beaten path and find a hidden gem. The place looks really cool and going by your pictures looks like you had a free reign over the place.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Hey Doc! Lovely crisp an concise travelogue. Trust you to go off the beaten path and find a hidden gem. The place looks really cool and going by your pictures looks like you had a free reign over the place.

Thank you very much Deepak!

There were a few other guests staying there. I saw one biker group. And then there were couple of other cars too. However, the palace is quite big and there are so many open areas compared to the rooms and private areas, that it will never feel crowded. We rarely ran into other guests there during our stay.

The only time we saw other people there was during breakfast. The tables next to us during breakfast were occupied. Other than that, yes, it was almost as if we had a free reign over the place :-)

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Secondly, Vijayapura to Sholapur is messy. Incomplete 4 lane work, lot of traffic, slow progress. However not bad as western India highways.

Looks like construction is in progress with rapid pace on this section. Just today saw this news about some fast progress on this stretch:

https://www.financialexpress.com/aut...dkari/2203228/

If this road indeed becomes this good, then this will be a lovely drive all the way from Bangalore to Aurangabad. Looking forward to that!

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Looks like construction is in progress with rapid pace on this section. Just today saw this news about some fast progress on this stretch:

https://www.financialexpress.com/aut...dkari/2203228/

If this road indeed becomes this good, then this will be a lovely drive all the way from Bangalore to Aurangabad. Looking forward to that!

Yes Doc. In fact we were discussing this yesterday. Honestly, the last drive to Aurangabad except for the 2 hours between Vijayapura and Sholapur was bliss and absolutely easy on body and mind. With such progress, I hope roads should be ready in a year.

This will also end up becoming a preferred route for Indore too.

In fact, a friend who drove to Mumbai over the weekend reported lesser diversions compared to his drive only 3 weeks before and said you hardly realise that there are diversions now.

Whatever the reasons be, we roadies should be happy to see roads getting better and better and the best part is that most non GQ roads have become so much better today and workout as excellent alternates.

[snr]

Very nice write up! I was planning to do a solo trip after reading this but sadly thanks to Covid the plans have to be put off.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by snr

Very nice write up! I was planning to do a solo trip after reading this but sadly thanks to Covid the plans have to be put off.

Thanks! Yes, Hampi area is a great area for a solo drive, exploring the landscapes and the ruins. It is a fantastic area to be an explorer!

The ideal time to travel there next is after August, when the monsoon rains would have cooled down the temperatures a bit and also gave a fresh look to the landscapes there. The tungabhdra river will have enough water after the monsoon and will provide some great views. Hopefully, the covid situation will also improve by August.

[snr]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Thanks! Yes, Hampi area is a great area for a solo drive, exploring the landscapes and the ruins. It is a fantastic area to be an explorer!

The ideal time to travel there next is after August, when the monsoon rains would have cooled down the temperatures a bit and also gave a fresh look to the landscapes there. The tungabhdra river will have enough water after the monsoon and will provide some great views. Hopefully, the covid situation will also improve by August.

Yes fingers crossed! I'm so looking forward to it!