Quote:
Originally Posted by MX6 I thought 01020-k100 was the best photo of this logue. reflection-k100 is above it by a few notches!
Great reflection stuff you got there! |
Thank you, MX6. Coming from you, it means a lot.
BHPian ShuvC dropped by for a quick meet at Kolkata. Met up with BHPian Sutripta too, but a lack of time meant we couldn't talk enough!
25 June 2010: We are at our journey's end. The NH-2 drive back from Calcutta to Delhi is a "been-there-done-that" journey for me. I don't need maps on this route, forget GPS. All that remained was to drive on the Allahabad bypass for the first time. 23 hours later, we were home. An update on the route had been posted earlier, and is being reposted here for your reference. Quote:
Originally Posted by SS-Traveller Trip #27 (CCU-DEL) happened to be part of our pan-India trip, and I had been looking forward to driving on the Allahabad bypass ever since I learned that it was open to traffic.
The changes: - The Isri Bazar diversion has gone, and the expressway is operational there. However, toll is not being charged yet.
- One small diversion of 1 km remains in JH, near Dumri (IIRC) - the diversion is through a deserted stretch and not through populated areas, so traffic jam is minimal, though the road surface is horrible and trucks take their own time to pass through.
- The BR-UP border diversion has gone - the expressway runs straight through, though there is still some difficulty in passing through due to the large number of trucks parked alongside the road. Not the incorrigible traffic jams of yesteryears, though.
- A number of sections of the expressway through small towns like Bagodar & Chouparan used to be single carriageway - now it's divided carriageway.
- The NH2 between the Ganga bridge near Benaras to about 50 km before Allahabad, is in bad shape (especially the west-bound carriageway). The road surface has become grooved where the trucks run, the tar has rolled, and it has left a nasty hump running along the road between two grooves. Low GC cars have a tough time here - if one keeps the tyres in the grooves, the risk of bottoming out is high, while if one tries to ride the hump, that's equally bad because it's not smooth. Overtaking manoeuvres become difficult. Some of the sections are under repair, resulting in traffic being forced to use east-bound carriageway only.
- Allahabad bypass (85 km long - adds about 30 km vis-a-vis going through Allahabad city) is good, but not great - at least, the surfacing is not as good as the NE1 or Mumbai-Pune expressway. One section of about 5 km is still single carriageway, construction on the other side not being complete. No toll being collected yet, though toll gates are set up on either end and at the exits (about 6 of them IIRC). No facilities of fuel bunks or eateries on the bypass - you need to take an exit and then find one).
Surprise situation: Toll gate near Allahabad 77km mile marker.
The road is so bad, I am irritated enough to tick the guy off when he asked for the Rs.45 toll fee. The fellow doesn't relent. I tell him it's not justified for him to charge so much for such a poor quality of road. Jokingly tell him, saare log discount de rahein hai, tum bhi discount doh. And guess what? He promptly asks for Rs.20, doesn't issue a toll receipt, and lets me go. No wonder the roads are in the condition that they are, given that the toll money doesn't find its way to the company that built, maintains and operates this section.
Surprise situation: Following an Innova about 30 km before Agra.
There's a big traffic jam at the toll gate, and the Innova manages to manoeuvre to the left and gets to an accessory (untarred) road, leading up to the toll gate. No toll collection booth here, just a fellow peering in at each car while it goes through. My guess, it's built that way to let VIP cars go through, which are exempt from paying toll. The Innova gets waved through. Even I get waved through. That was quick! | ::::: T H E :: E N D :::::
Last edited by SS-Traveller : 5th July 2010 at 16:48.
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