Team-BHP - The Best Roads In India

If you live in Bangalore, the NICE road at Bannerghatta is a brilliant place to max out your vehicle. I seen superbikes and cars go well beyond 250kmph there!

Also, after the village of Kanakpura, there is a 16 km stretch of road to Chunchi falls. That road is INSANE! ONLY fast swooping curves. When I rode there I averaged 85 kmph (Honda Stunner :/ If only I could afford a 600 cc... hopefully someday~.~) and I was pumping with adrenaline! did the stretch in about 8 and a half minutes! it is a very under-rated road and amazing on a weekday as it is absolutely EMPTY! also, there are gradual bumps and if your going fast enough, you can catch a little air!! :D

Has anyone else been here?

Of the few roads that I've travelled on, those that come to mind are -

Putalapattu - Tirupati (AP SH61 with indicated speed limits of 100 in open places and 80 where there are villages on any side of the road)

Ahmedabad - Udaipur (haven't driven this stretch but was in cab when I toured here in January 2005; I hear that the roads here are still awesome)

Bengaluru - Krishnagiri (Hosur Road)

Bengaluru - Hunsuru (en route Madikeri; I'm sure that at this time the entire stretch up to Bylakuppe, if not Madikeri, would've been relaid)

Shamshabad - Kurnool (including the Jadcherla expressway)

NH48 (Bengaluru - Kunigal - Hasan) was awesome at least in January 2006. I don't know how it is these days.

On a recent trip to Kerala I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the road between Ernakulam and Munnar, despite the heavy rains that part of the country sees.

Regards,
Spadix

Quote:

Originally Posted by spadix (Post 1881000)

On a recent trip to Kerala I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the road between Ernakulam and Munnar, despite the heavy rains that part of the country sees.

Regards,
Spadix

Why the surprise? Kerala always had great roads, be it on the hills or in the plains. They seldom crack up during the rains too, barring a few exceptions, all of them can be counted with the fingers of your hand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar (Post 1881034)

Why the surprise?

Three reasons, really. One thing to note here is that this was my first trip to Kerala.

My experience so far suggests that lots of rain means bad roads. At least this was the case in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, although things have been improving of late. On the other hand, the counterfactual is that it's more productive in the long run to build good, solid roads where there are such heavy rains. I didn't think of this, my bad.

Secondly, I used to read in the travelogues of certain auto mags about the poor surface quality of roads in Kerala. I guess this is one more reason for me to not believe in auto mags anymore (there are many other reasons due to which I have stopped buying/reading them regularly).

Finally, in common parlance I've hardly come across people praising the roads in Kerala whereas one always (and deservedly so) hears about good roads elsewhere such as the Mumbai-Pune expressway and Delhi-Jaipur road etc.

Regards,
Spadix

Perhaps the reason why KL roads are not praised despite their great shape and all-weather capabilities despite the pasting they get during the monsoons is the congestion - the heavy traffic, the people and the continuous inhabitations that make driving through KL during daytime an incredibly frustrating task.

I think the term "best road" may mean different things. Based on the roads I have traveled in India, my nominations are:

The fastest road: Mumbai-Pune expressway

The smoothest road: NH7 (Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem). This road is also quite fast, and therefore, my overall vote for "best road" (in terms of speed as well as smoothness) goes to this road.

Most scenic road: Several roads in Konkan and Kerala. Just to name one, the small road from Ganapatipule to Jaidurg (in Konkan) is really great! It is really narrow and pretty rough, but goes along the rocky coastline and small hills. You can practically stop the car at the side of this road and walk to the pristine beaches. Those of you who have traveled in this area will appreciate what I mean. Very few people go to Jaidurg so I don't think this road is well-known.

Most enjoyable road: NH17 (Mumbai-Goa). As GTO mentioned in one of the first replies to this thread, the anticipation of the destination makes this road very special. Add to that the scenic surroundings, and nice ghats, and this road is always a pleasure to drive on!

My vote goes for NH-17. It's probably one of the more challenging roads. You have to be alert constantly, except for some few stretches. One has to be careful though, there are many accidents on the highway, with inexperienced drivers meeting with accidents on the ghats. Since it has light traffic, getting help could be a problem. That said, it's got great scenery, amazing places to see along the way and good food if you know where to go..

The Mumbai-Pune expressway gets 2nd place in my books. It's an amazing highway due to it being an amazing feat of construction built on difficult terrain, great speed and safety. I had recently been to Lonavala few days back and the expressway still managed to amaze me.

Though I have not been lucky enough to travel a lot by road, my favorites are mentioned below:

1. Mumbai - Nasik - Absolute cracker of a road, it has got everything a driver can want. Long straights interespersed with gentle curves, beautiful scenery and then there is Kasara Ghat. I did the stretch from Andheri to Igatpuri in September last year and it was the most refreshing drive I ever had (350 kms round trip in 4.5 hours)

2. Bangalore - Krishnagiri - Extremely smooth surface (apart from the Hosur Town stretch), rather well behaved drivers though scenery is a bit boring. Did not go beyond Krishnagiri but have heard that the Salem stretch isnt too inviting.

3. Ambala - Paonta Sahib - I traveled in a cab on this road around 2 years back and though its a 2 lane no-divider state highway, the smooth surface, dense vegetation and crisp air together are more than sufficient to put a smile on your face. Have some pics, will try and post. :)

Also, someone mentioned Palampur - Dharamsala and I completely agree, it makes for a very nice drive.

The Mumbai-Pune expressway is straight and neat, and absolutely no fun at all!! The one road I use whenever I get the opportunity to escape from the city is NH17. It's got all the twists and turns of a good thriller and promises a nice smooth ride. And when you've got a car that can handle those curves as well as you can (or like to think you can), there's no greater pleasure. My vote goes to NH17.

Has anyone driven on the Karimnagar-Jagitiyal road? People nearby should do this.

I havnt gone there recently but a couple of years back it was as smooth as glass!! (with grip of course)

My swift did a "swiftly" 130+ on the 2 laned beauty!! At night!:)

Also, talking about roads, NH1, when it completes should be a dream!

Hosur - Krishnagiri is good. Krishnagiri - Salem and Salem - Madurai are even better. They have separate lanes for turning right now. Roads don't cut through villages (like it happens in Hosur - Krishnagiri). They typically bypass or they go over the village. None of the new bypasses are even near the town. They are quite some distance away and you won't even know you passed that town (ex. Kaveripatnam, Dharmapuri..)

Bangalore - Madurai can be done in 5 hrs. That's a distance of 400kms+.