[nisfish]

I am planning a Kolkata-Siliguri run on the 23rd or 24th of October. If anyone has been on this route recently, can anyone advise on the road condition? With Pujas around the corner, will it be safe to take the Botolbari-Dhantola route?

[toppor]

Originally Posted by nisfish

I am planning a Kolkata-Siliguri run on the 23rd or 24th of October. If anyone has been on this route recently, can anyone advise on the road condition? With Pujas around the corner, will it be safe to take the Botolbari-Dhantola route?

Hi, I just did a to and fro trip to Kolkata from Bagdogra, drove down on Friday and returned on Sunday.
I had taken the following route onwards Kolkata: Bagdogra>Dalkhola>Malda>Behrampore>Krishnanagar>Ko lkata

I had to take Dalkhola route, due to an unavoidable work, however as usual got royally stuck in the infamous jam.
I had started at 7 AM and reached Behrampore which is about 360KM in 14 hours. Halted for the night and did the rest of the journey the following day.

This was my return journey:
Kolkata>Behrampore>Malda>Botolbari>Bagdogra
started at 6 AM reached home at 11:30 PM

This is not a preferred route and I had to take due to certain commitments, please take the Burdwan>Morgram route for better drive.

Botolbari route has moon size craters in the first 20 KM of the journey and post that it is a breeze. I started at 8:30PM from Botolbari and exited Dhantola at 10:30, due to night time, village traffic was non-existent and it was a trouble free ride.

[Sutripta]

Just did a CCU - Jalpaiguri - CCU run.
Roads are shambles/ nonexistent in places, and one still pay tolls.

Avoid Moregram. It's a lunar surface, which causes vehicles to break down, which then causes jams which will put the ones at Dalkhola to shame.

If better roads rather than distance is a consideration, then would suggest CCU - Bardhaman - Shantiniketan - Sainthia - then cut across to Behrampore. And then continue. One will likely still face a jam at Moregram, but not as bad as when approaching from Nalhati.

The Bengal to Bengal road has some huge craters. Drive carefully. In some places the road is quite narrow, and if you are forced to go to the shoulder, be careful as sometimes the shoulder is way below the level of the road.

Sutripta

[indrasis_gun]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Just did a CCU - Jalpaiguri - CCU run.
Roads are shambles/ nonexistent in places, and one still pay tolls.

Sutripta

Sir, I will be travelling Coochbehar-Kolkata tomorrow. So what will be the best route to follow? I am waiting for your response.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by indrasis_gun

Sir, I will be travelling Coochbehar-Kolkata tomorrow. So what will be the best route to follow? I am waiting for your response.

Depends on what car you're driving and your tolerance level for not great roads.

First decision is Bhagalpur or Farakka. The veteran travellers are suggesting Bhagalpur. In which case I suggest you drop a PM to Sheel.

Sutripta

[indrasis_gun]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

First decision is Bhagalpur or Farakka...

Sutripta

I am willing to take the road via Siliguri - Malda - Baharampur - Gokarna - Kandi - Kuli - Burdwan. From Kuli to Burdwan how is the condition via Sainthia, Bolpur, Guskara?

I will drive 3rd generation Swift having not so great ground clearance. But will not take the road via Bhagalpur.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by indrasis_gun

I am willing to take the road via Siliguri - Malda - Baharampur - Gokarna - Kandi - Kuli - Burdwan. From Kuli to Burdwan how is the condition via Sainthia, Bolpur, Guskara?

From Kuli to Futisankho (SH 7) not so great, but manageable. ~ 30 Km shorter than via Sainthia.

The Bolpur route has a chokepoint at the Talit LC.

Your other decision is whether Dalkhola or Dhantola - Botolbari.

Sutripta

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by indrasis_gun

I am willing to take the road via Siliguri - Malda - Baharampur - Gokarna - Kandi - Kuli - Burdwan. From Kuli to Burdwan how is the condition via Sainthia, Bolpur, Guskara?

I will drive 3rd generation Swift having not so great ground clearance. But will not take the road via Bhagalpur.

Be prepared for some dreadful craters after Kuli till Phuntishanko and if it rains then it’s a double whammy. I have been travelling on NH 34 since long but I don’t remember the surface to be so dreadful ever. If you care for your car then, be advised to use the Bhagalpur- Hansdiha- Asansol route. Rest your decision, I probably already answered you on another thread perhaps !!

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Avoid Moregram. It's a lunar surface, ...

Do you mean the Nalhati - Morgram strech of NH-60?

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

If you care for your car then, be advised to use the Bhagalpur- Hansdiha- Asansol route. Rest your decision, I probably already answered you on another thread perhaps !!

I guess, it's going to be a tricky situation even for the Bhagalpur route in the next 2-3 weeks due to the state assembly election of Bihar. One must consider potential delays due to the political rallies, routine police check of vehicles for cash, .... etc.

Unfortunately, the road situation is not going to improve before the middle of November. Some patch repairing has started though. The widening work is resuming for the incomplete Kaliachak - Sujapur stretch as near-bankrupt HCC managed to officially sell-off the Farakka - Raiganj section of NH-12 to cash-rich Cube Highways of Singapore last month. Hopefully, the new company would keep this stretch of NH-12 better maintained.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Do you mean the Nalhati - Morgram strech of NH-60?

I guess, it's going to be a tricky situation even for the Bhagalpur route in the next 2-3 weeks due to the state assembly election of Bihar. One must consider potential delays due to the political rallies, routine police check of vehicles for cash, .... etc.

The road just before the Moregram crossing is back to moon shaped craters. I crossed the stretch in the night and I had to criss cross the stretch just to avoid damaging the whole suspension system !!

Also, traveled recently through Bihar and yes, checking of vehicles have started but if timed properly, those check points are not much of a hassle. Besides, outstation vehicles are not checked vigorously, at least that is what I found out. Also, the surface along Bhagalpur route is far far better sans some little stretches. At this point, anyone wanting to go that side should be well advised to take the Jharkhand-Bihar route despite more miles.

I hope the new contractor will at least maintain a decent surface to drive on the Farakka-Raigunj stretch. Crossing Sujapur is a nightmare that I would like to forget in a hurry

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by gmhossain

I guess, it's going to be a tricky situation even for the Bhagalpur route in the next 2-3 weeks due to the state assembly election of Bihar. One must consider potential delays due to the political rallies, routine police check of vehicles for cash

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Also, traveled recently through Bihar and yes, checking of vehicles have started but if timed properly, those check points are not much of a hassle. Besides, outstation vehicles are not checked vigorously, at least that is what I found out.

Thanks for this update, is the Bihar - Jharkhand route fine for night time drives with family? Is the checking more during night times? My travel is also upcoming in another week hence wanted to get a concurrence on this.

One of my colleagues have taken the Durgapur Expressway -> Dhatola- Botolbari route today, travelling since last evening and said the road condition is worst to almost no roads being present at few places. Even the Dhantola route is also having big sized craters. Thankfully they started at around 8-30 pm in the evening and with one dinner halt at Shaktigarh they crossed Farakka at around 3 am without encountering any traffic jam, albeit minimal traffic induced delays in the entire route. It is just the craters which were the massive culprits.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Do you mean the Nalhati - Morgram strech of NH-60?

Right now don't know about the full length from Nalhati to Moregram crossing. Just the three Km from SH7 T Jnc to Moregram crossing was enough!

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

and if it rains then it’s a double whammy.

If it rains, all bets are off. As one cannot make out how deep each crater is.

Sutripta

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Thanks for this update, is the Bihar - Jharkhand route fine for night time drives with family? Is the checking more during night times? My travel is also upcoming in another week hence wanted to get a concurrence on this.

I would suggest you to start very early in the morning or even little before midnight from Calcutta. That way you can cover the night part through Bengal and the early morning part through Jharkhand where the road surface is just fantastic to drive on. I have never felt safety issues anywhere in Jharkhand or Bihar during the last decade or so or even earlier.

Election related checks are not that common during the night but one can never be so sure. I have faced too many random checks last year during the night while on my way to Calcutta from Bokaro when elections were on in Jharkhand but that was my bad day at work

If it rains, all bets are off. As one cannot make out how deep each crater is.

Praying will help, if only one has good connections

[haldar_siliguri]

If anyone's looking to travel an off beat route for this journey, I have once done Kolkata to Siliguri via Patna-Muzaffarpur back in 2016. Except for the stretch between Gaya and Patna, the rest of it was almost completely a breeze.

Yes I know its more than twice the direct distance but was a much less stressful journey compared to any of the more direct routes within WB.

Covered it in a day - precisely 18 hrs of self driving with 3 stops for my meals and 3 stops for the thirsty AF inline 6 on the car. After a nearly snails pace driving between Gaya and Patna (100kms) that took over 3 hrs, I still managed an average of 66kph for the whole trip thanks to decent dual carriageways in the rest of the journey. Would happily do the same route in near future, just so that I can avoid the horrific highways of WB.

[Sutripta]

^^^
Q becomes of where to cross the Ganga.
Anyone here who has recently used NH31 all the way to Barhi?

Sutripta