Drove Goa to Mumbai taking different route than usual: My observations

I counted a total of 7 diversions between Karad and Satara and a further 4 (or maybe 5) diversions between Satara and Pune.

BHPian devilking recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

I drove from North Goa to Navi Mumbai via the NH66-Anuskura Ghat-Karad-Pune-Expressway route on Saturday.

Overall, this route is only 58 kms longer than the direct North Goa-Navi Mumbai route via NH66. However, there is one reason I would recommend the NH66 option to Mumbai folks, and that is the chances of traffic jams on Expressway or between Pune-Karad during the Christmas-New Year week.

I counted a total of 7 diversions between Karad and Satara and a further 4 (or maybe 5) diversions between Satara and Pune. Not to mention the huge bottleneck in Pune itself. The traffic is on the higher side on NH48, especially truck traffic and this is a recipe for major traffic jams on diversions and toll plazas during the Christmas week when many people would be travelling to and from Goa. If one can avoid the bad stretches of NH66 by taking detours, this could be the better option for Mumbai folks.

I recollect that I got stuck 8 years ago on NH48 while returning from Goa after the new year, and I had a companion who had to be dropped at Pune airport. Inspite of taking an adequate buffer margin of 3-4 hours, I dropped him 15 minutes before departure time at the airport. Over the years, I was happy to see that NH48 had become a breeze but now things have gone back to square one over the last 2 years.

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