[arjab]

Quite a few promises with respect to highway development in WB.
Let us see how this pans out.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-...nt/cid/1898767

[black_panther]

There is visible progress of construction work in some of the biggest painpoints of the Kolkata Siliguri NH34 (NH12) route.

1. Both sides of the ROB at Raiganj bypass are nearing completion. Girders are ready to be launched on the bridge, fingers crossed.

2. As per video blog from Golam da, one side of the river bridge at Beharampur bypass may be completed before the Pujas this year.

3. The work on the ROB at Ranaghat (biggest painpoint at the moment for traffic jams) has finally resumed. Barring this railway crossing, the entire Kolkata Krishnanagar NH12 route is now manageable.

4. The farakka bridge my need another couple of years to complete, but that's okay.

During my last trip at the 2022 year end break, the road surface in the entire stretch seemed to have improved due to re-laying and patchwork.
However with the opening of bypasses and improved road surface, the biggest painpoint at the moment are the abruptly and unscientifically placed guardrails on the entire stretch (often placed at an interval of a couple of hundred metres). Sometimes these are even placed on single carriageway stretches to cause traffic jams artificially.
My appeal to the administration is to explore alternate and more innovative ways of traffic management. Would like to appeal to the fellow bhpians to resonate this message so that it reaches to the appropriate audience.

[Samratrek]

Hello BHPians
I will be travelling in another 20 days from Muzaffarpur in North Bihar to Murshidabad in West Bengal.
Request to guide me accordingly with the best possible route …presuming the road drive to be hectic should travelling by train till Asansol / Durgapur and then hiring a cab till Murshidabad be more prudent ?
Regards
Samrat Mukherji

[PrideRed]

Hello folks, being from Bangalore the names are all new and confusing. Can members here let me know what is the best route from Kolkata to Siliguri at present and how long would it take If I start early in the morning? I am concerned about being stuck in traffic for hours as I plan to travel with kids.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Hello folks, being from Bangalore the names are all new and confusing. Can members here let me know what is the best route from Kolkata to Siliguri at present and how long would it take If I start early in the morning? I am concerned about being stuck in traffic for hours as I plan to travel with kids.

Hi PrideRed, as has been already mentioned in the thread, Calcutta- Old Delhi Road (STKK Road)- Krishnanagar- Sargachi bypass- Morgram- Farakka- Malda bypass- Raigunj-Dalkhola bypass- Kishangunj- Islampur bypass- Siliguri is the route we take these days. It’s the most optimum route with good surfaces throughout with some occasional not so good patches near Krishnanagar since work is going on. One can easily do this route inside 12- 13 hours with adequate breaks. The chances of getting stuck in a traffic jam is almost nil, going by my recent travel. If you start early in the morning, you will easily reach Siliguri by the evening or even before.

Regards.

[black_panther]

Google Maps is now showing the new Raiganj bypass as an option with a little diversion around the incomplete ROB. The overall travel time is shorter by around 5 minutes. Anyone tried out this option yet?

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by black_panther

Google Maps is now showing the new Raiganj bypass as an option with a little diversion around the incomplete ROB. The overall travel time is shorter by around 5 minutes. Anyone tried out this option yet?

I attempted to take the bypass recently after I saw the bikes taking the route but was promptly diverted back by the police from the Dalkhola side. Big concrete slabs have been put up at both ends of the bypass, although one can still squeeze through by taking the unmarked lane just beside. I was told that the ROB is still not complete and hence one has to take a detour through fields and some makeshift gravel roads to join back through to the bypass. In fact, I also stopped and talked to the newly opened toll staff near the Raigunj bypass to enquire about the status and they were hopeful that the bypass will be ready very soon. Raigunj was never a very big problem anyways if traffic flowed smoothly without the disruption of railway crossing and there is no breakdown of any heavy vehicle !!

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

I attempted to take the bypass recently after I saw the bikes taking the route but was promptly diverted back by the police from the Dalkhola side. Big concrete slabs have been put up at both ends of the bypass, although one can still squeeze through by taking the unmarked lane just beside. I was told that the ROB is still not complete and hence one has to take a detour through fields and some makeshift gravel roads to join back through to the bypass. In fact, I also stopped and talked to the newly opened toll staff near the Raigunj bypass to enquire about the status and they were hopeful that the bypass will be ready very soon. Raigunj was never a very big problem anyways if traffic flowed smoothly without the disruption of railway crossing and there is no breakdown of any heavy vehicle !!

Thanks for the update.
In my last trip during the year end break, we faced a 30-45 minute delay at Raiganj due to traffic jams in the late evening. The bypass would certainly eliminate the last bottleneck of the Malda - Siliguri section which is a breeze nowadays.

[CaptBrat1845]

It has been a month since the last update to this thread. I will be doing Kolkata - Siliguri - Kalimpong on 23rd May this year.
Was wondering if an update could be had on this stretch.
Will be driving with my Wife (also drives and is good), 10 year old daughter and 5 year old dog.
Intend to reach Kalimpong by Late evening on 23rd.
Have already booked AirBnB there (being pet friendly).

Any assistance would be appreciated.
TIA

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by CaptBrat1845

It has been a month since the last update to this thread. I will be doing Kolkata - Siliguri - Kalimpong on 23rd May this year.
Was wondering if an update could be had on this stretch.
Will be driving with my Wife (also drives and is good), 10 year old daughter and 5 year old dog.
Intend to reach Kalimpong by Late evening on 23rd.
Have already booked AirBnB there (being pet friendly).

Any assistance would be appreciated.
TIA

Assuming that you'll start very early in the morning in order to reach Kalimpong on the same day, you may opt for the Kalyani highway - Ranaghat- Shantipur bypass - Krishnanagar route. However if you are driving a vehicle with low GC, then the Mogra-Kalna route is still recommended.

[CaptBrat1845]

Originally Posted by black_panther

Assuming that you'll start very early in the morning in order to reach Kalimpong on the same day, you may opt for the Kalyani highway - Ranaghat- Shantipur bypass - Krishnanagar route. However if you are driving a vehicle with low GC, then the Mogra-Kalna route is still recommended.

Thank You. I will be driving my Tata Harrier. So i dont think GC should be an issue here. I intend to start around 0400 hrs, hopefully that should suffice to arrive at Kalimpong by Evening around 18-1900 ??

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by CaptBrat1845

Thank You. I will be driving my Tata Harrier. So i dont think GC should be an issue here. I intend to start around 0400 hrs, hopefully that should suffice to arrive at Kalimpong by Evening around 18-1900 ??

The Ranaghat - Shantipur bypass - Krishnanagar route shouldn't be an issue with Harrier. I've driven my Safari multiple times on this stretch without any issue. Before starting, please look for traffic jams/road closures in this stretch.
If not 18-1900, you should reach Kalimpong by 20:00 -21:00, with adequate breaks. Try to avoid the evening traffic at Siliguri. You may also opt for the Fulbari Gajoldoba bypass and take the longer route through Lava.

[DrRC83]

Originally Posted by black_panther

Try to avoid the evening traffic at Siliguri. You may also opt for the Fulbari Gajoldoba bypass and take the longer route through Lava.

Being a regular driver of this route, i would like to put up my 2 paise -
1. NH10 is currrently at its best within last few years, except the 29 mile area. So it is advisable to take this route as Lava route is way too lengthy and full of turnings.
2. Please look out for sinking zones especially when steeper up driving after Chitrey. Go very slowly at the downhill parts of the sinking zones as during uphill drive at the sudden downhill the road further is invisible and may have some deep incline.
3. If you stop by after Kalijhora to enjoy the beautiful view of Tista (you have to start from Siliguri by 5 pm at least, else during your return journey) always look for any sign of Landslide near you (Hill wall has no grass/bushes or loose boulders/pebbles) and avoid. NH10 is notorious for landslide problem.
Wishing you a Happy journey ahead @CaptBrat1845

[Need_for_Slow]

As this is my first post in this forum, please forgive for my ignorance in case I break any forum rules.

As the father of a daughter who is an avid story reader and a story teller, she needs a story to tell to her friends when the school re-opens in June. The interesting thing is that the story has to have things like mountains, Himalayas and snow (if possible) in them.
In order to provide her with an interesting story to tell, I am planning for a Hyderabad to Sikkim drive in the last 2 weeks of May. The ride will be a Honda Jazz CVT.

Here is my tentative plan.
20th May: Hyderabad -> Visakhapatanam
21st May: Visakhapatnam -> Bhubaneswar
22nd May: Bhubaneswar -> Kolkata
23rd May: Kolkata -> Siliguri
24th May: Siliguri -> Pelling
25th May: Pelling-> Gangtok
26th May: Gangtok-> Lachung
27th May: Lachung->Yamthang-> Zero point-> Lachung
28th May: Lachung-> Gangtok
29th May: Gangtok->Nathula Pass-> Tsomogo Lake->Gangtok
30th May: Gangtok->Siliguri
31st May: Siliguri->Kolkata
1st June: Kolkata-> Baripada
3rd June: Baripada->BBSR
4th June:BBSR->Visakhapatnam
5th June: Visakhapatnam-> Hyderabad

As I am from Odisha, I know those roads well. I have driven numerous times between Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. There may be a change in plan either while entering/exiting Odisha for good reasons. Rest of the plans need not any change from my side if not advised by fellow members for a valid reason.

My primary concern is about the road condition from Kolkata to Gangtok considering that I'll be driving a low GC car. As far as I know, I need to hire a local taxi for the Nathula /Tsomogo lake visit but what about the drive till Lachung? Will I be allowed to take my vehicle or I need to hire a local taxi for that as well. If I'll be allowed even if I am not driving a SUV, When do I need to apply for the Permits and how?

I have not finalized anything yet but plan to make the necessary arrangements quickly based on the feedback I receive here.


I am driving for more than a decade now with driving experience to major parts of south India starting from Bangalore to Madurai/Kanyakumari /Rameswaram/ Munnar/ Allepy / Coorg/ Wayanad/ Chikmagalur / Mangalore /Agumbe/ Gokarna etc. So I hope I'll be able to do this as well.


All kind of inputs and suggestions are most welcome to make this trip a memorable story for our little one.

Thank you for having me here.

[maverickg2]

I'm currently on the second leg of my road trip from Pune to Sikkim. I will be starting on my way back home to Pune from Siliguri tomorrow. On my way to Sikkim I took the following route,

Pune -> Nagpur -> Varanasi -> Darbhanga -> Siliguri -> Gangtok

But the strecth after Darbhanga to Siliguri was a long bad patch of road due to construction under way, I was thinking of taking an alternative route and trying to avoid Bihar.

I'm looking for suggestions for better routes as I have two kids (10 yrs and 2 yrs of age)

Should I take Siliguri -> Malda -> Jharkhand -> Orissa -> Nagpur -> Pune

Would be really grateful if the experts could suggest a safe and good route for the family?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Note: Apologies in advance if any of the forum rules have been broken in posting this.