Returned to Kolkata from from Darjeeling yesterday, 19/12/2020, evening and thought of updating the road conditions, in case it proves to be of help to anyone planning to travel shortly.
Kolkata - Burdwan:
No issues. Good road conditions throughout from Kolkata to Burdwan(Ulhas junction turn-off).
Tip: At Dankuni & Palsit Toll plazas, suggest that you stick to the toll lanes which has trucks queued up (obviously choose the shortest queue). Refrain from choosing the extreme left (car only lane), because in this lane you will find many passenger cars WITHOUT FasTag paying in cash, collecting change, blacklisted FasTag's, inane arguments et al. Contrarily, most trucks have FasTag's now and all of them trundle through without hassle. Tested this theory out at all toll plazas I crossed and it held good.
Inside Burdwan town:
No issues again. The new flyover near Burdwan station has been commissioned and there are no bottlenecks now. Be careful however of the umpteen number of E-Rickshaws who all seem hell bent on a suicidal spree, especially when they spot an automobile.
Burdwan Town to Norja "Y-junction" (SH-7)
Broken tarmac with occasional deep craters. Exercise caution.
Norja to Futishanko (SH-7)
Wide, fast with occasional potholes which you can spot early on to take evasive manouvre. Couple of culverts with dips which can cause your vehicle's suspension to bottom out, (depending on vehicle make) on its bump stops if you are doing over 70'-ish kmph.
Futishanko to Kuli
Broken tarmac peppered with potholes and craters of different sizes, shapes and depths. Depending on your vehicle, its suspension capability and axle articulation, your average speed can vary between 35kmph to 60/65 kmph. Exercise caution. Be aware of "rim bending" sized potholes. The Mayurakshi river bridge, (not Lochandas Setu), has two nasty iron spikes jutting out from one of the bridge's expansion joints in the middle. Be careful.
Kuli to Nakpur (where SH-7 joins the SH-14)
No issues.
Nakpur to Moregram junction (that is SH-14 and NH-12 [nee NH-34] junction):
No tarmac for 3.5 kms. Pure off road. This stretch is also facing multiple traffic snarls as inevitably multiple trucks are having axle and suspension failures and blocking access to the "what is called the highway"
Tip: Stick to left most side. Drop two wheels on the gravel shoulder and weave your way through.
Moregram to Farakka
No issues. Some occasional potholes which you can spot from afar. Stick to left lane and you should be fine. The Farakka Feeder Canal bridge has been fully refurbished and is smooth sailing. Also the narrow single lane bridge before Farakka Barrage has been replaced with two new bridges, so no hold-up's on that front as well.
After you cross the main Farakka Barrage, its off roading again for around a kilometre. The Barrage itself is in good shape. Of course, you have to adhere to the speed restrictions as always.
Kaliachak junction
I crossed Kaliachak at around 1pm. The junction now boasts a new set of traffic lights set at 1-minute interval. This seems to have eased the bottleneck as the tailback from the traffic lights are now not stretching beyond 300 metres. Roads and potholes have been repaired
Sujapur junction
Roads are ok. Pure man-made traffic snarls. With generous contribution from the cops who for some reasons which defies all logic, "push" rickety and rusty traffic barriers in the path of oncoming trucks thereby slowing them down. They also create "chicanes" with these movable barriers through which it is extremely difficult for trucks to wiggle through.
Be prepared for a 15 mins slowdown in this area.
Malda Bypass
Smooth sailing
Malda to Raigunj town junction
Largely ok. Occasional diversions with broken tarmac. Manageable. Raigunj city traffic is congested as ever.
Raigunj - Botolbari turnoff
Recently four-laned. So be careful in spotting the Botolbari turn as it is now on the "other side" of the highway. Tip: After you cross the Kulik Bird Sanctuary bridge, after 13-14kms slow down to spot the Botolbari turn - off
Botolbari - Rudel - Goagaon stretch
Pure off roading once again. The road is completely broken with deep craters, potholes , ditches and road imperfections of every conceivable nature that you can think of. The edges drop off a good 8-inches as well. Habitual North Bengal travellers of these roads would need to be very careful. I would not recommend this road to newbies to owners planning to drive down in low ground clearance cars with long overhangs.
I saw one Bihar registered Honda City with its front bumper knocked off and coolant leaking and one D'zire (new shape) with its left front wheel contorted and poking out of the bodywork (I'm sure it was a bent lower arm or a driveshaft that had popped out).
From Goagaon junction, (where it meets the "head of the curve" at the Dhantola Rasakhowa road), to Dhantola crossing, the road is absolutely fine.
Alternative to Botolbari entry
Try to get in through Domohana turn - off. This road is excellently surfaced. It is around 20 kilometres ahead of Botolbari turnoff if you are coming from Raigunj.
The problem with the Domohona approach is the "tailback effect" from Dalkhola junction. Nowadays, Dalkhola is witnessing 20-25kms long truck pile-up's. No one knows the reason why! There are no crashes, political "road roko's" etc but traffic just does not see to move!
![Frustration](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/Frustration.gif)
And it is some of this traffic that you have to negotiate to reach the Domohana turn-off.
Dhantola - Islampur - Bagdogra
Between Islampur and Bagdogra some nasty potholes have cropped up. Be careful.
Bagdogra - Khaprail Junction - Simulbari - Rohini - Kurseong
No issues.
Alternative: Pankhabari Road to Kurseong
Ok. No issues. I did it at night, so there was no traffic as well. Suggest newbies to take the more gentle Rohini route as Pankhabari with its steep gradients and hairpins may not be comfortable for all.
Kurseong to Darjeeling
Extensive road repair work is going on at Hill Cart Road. Hence, very often traffic is being halted to facilitate roadworks and also free up movement of "up and down" hill traffic. This is causing quite some delay between the Kurseong to Darjeeling stretch. You just have to be patient and wait it out; as the entire process is very well controlled by the cops posted at regular intervals along the stretches where repairs are taking place.
Hope this update helps.
Safe travels and wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas!
Drive safe!