[Biker_Ajax]

Planning Delhi to Hyderabad (Bidar)
Dec end or mid January.

Have two options been shown:-
Option 1:-
Delhi-agra-gwalior-sagar-seoni-nagpur-Bidar

Option2:-
Delhi-kota-Aurangabad-Bidar



Request suggest the better option pls:-
- Want to avoid bad roads & frequent traffic jams due construction & diversions.
- Good road condition for cruise at 100-130kmph
- By car or bike, yet to be decided (depends on road conditions) (Car 14hr/day, Bike 10hr/day).
- Solo journey.

[ankitsharma]

Originally Posted by ankitsharma

I am planning to take the below route on my upcoming trip to Ghaziabad (UP) this coming weekend (4-5th Nov):

Hyd -> Ngp -> Jabalpur (Stay)
Jbl -> Sihora -> Katni -> Maihar -> Satna -> Chitrakoot -> Bundelkhand Expressway -> Kudrail (Agra - Luck Expressway) -> Yamuna Expressway -> Gzb.

Completed this in the weekend of (4th - 5th Nov) via this route. Was busy with Diwali and then some office work and hence was not able to post update.

Left Hyderabad at 5:30 AM on 4th Nov. Breakfast was had on the way.
Reached Nagpur around 12:40 PM. Road conditions are mostly good till Adilabad with occasional bad patches. Once we enter MH the condition deteriorates and continues for a few hundred kms. But then after crossing ~100 kms stabilizes. Then it is a mix of occasional potholes and uneven roads. But you can drive around 100 easily.

Left Nagpur around 2:15 PM and instead of going through Nagpur using NH 47 , went via 44 (Dighori -> Kapsi) to save the city traffic. This road is under construction till Kapsi and is a mix of no roads/some roads/good roads. But once you cross Kapsi it is all good with heavy truck traffic.

Stopped at Villa 44 near Pench National Park around 4 PM for a quick coffee break. This place is newly built and maintained. Clean and clear.

Reached Jabalpur around 7 PM, stayed at Royal Orbit Fern with one fuel break around Seoni. Roads were mostly good.

Left Jabalpur at 8:30 AM on 5th Nov towards NH 30. Roads were very good till Sihora but on approaching towards Katni became bad. The entire stretch of Katni is under construction with heavy truck traffic. At some stretches there are no roads and only gravel. Crossing Katni was a pain. But roads became smooth again after Katni till Maihar.
Stopped at Indian Coffee House near Maihar around 11 AM. The place is really good for coffee as well as breakfast. Clean washrooms and good south indian food.
Left Maihar at around 11:40 AM towards Satna. Roads were good but the traffic was very heavy. This highway take you through Satna and hence you encounter the city traffic in full. There is also a railway crossing right after Maihar which also eats up 15-20 minutes. We did not had to encounter that as we took a detour from one of the villages but that added 10-15 minutes more to the journey.
From Satna till Chitrakoot roads are very average and mostly filled with potholes. Inside Chitrakoot roads are laden with potholes and there is too much dust. Reached Chitrakoot around 2 PM.
We had initially planned for lunch at Sarovar Portico, Orai but due to traffic could only make it to Chitrakoot by 2 PM. Hence we tried the state run MPT Mandakini Resort. Do not get offended by the location of this resort as it is very good in terms of cleanliness, hospitality and food quality. It was nearly empty. Food was very good at dirt cheap prices.
Left chitrakoot around 2:45 PM towards Bundelkhand Expressway. As mentioned by @bordeaux, southern part of this expressway was very good and smooth. However right after Orai (where we had also stopped for a fuel break), the road became bad. There are mostly uneven patches along with a lot of diversions without proper reflective barricades. DO NOT DRIVE at night on this stretch as it can be hazardous to your life. Till this expressway joins into Agra - Lucknow Expressway, the entire stretch will give you headache and possibly broken struts/punctured tires if you are not careful. I seriously pity the road conditions and how much they have deteriorated in the last 6 months. I would avoid this expressway in future. Not worth breaking your suspension and tires.
Once you join Agra - Lucknow Expressway you will feel as if you are on a runway. The roads are super smooth with diversions planned properly and very smoothly. You can also drive at night without hassle with triple digit speeds (Not recommended though).
Reached Agra around 8 PM where we also had dinner. Tried Dasaprakash near Tajgunj area and I must say it was worth every penny. Suggested to stop here for meals if anyone is traveling. You do not have to travel too much inside Agra and the approach roads are mostly good.
Left Agra around 8:45 PM after buying a carton full of the famous Agra Petha (Mandatory process for us if crossing Agra).
Reached my home in Ghaziabad at 12 PM.

Overall another great experience of the roads and whatever ensued.

Note 1: Heavy police checking at borders and city limits in Telangana and MP due to the upcoming elections. We were stopped thrice in TS and twice in MP.

Note 2: Roads from Satna to Chitrakoot is under construction and this stretch might become good after the construction is complete.

Note 3: Bundelkhand expressway has left me thinking on the quality of construction these days considering it was very hyped and was inaugurated by our PM himself.


Below are some photos clicked en-route.

Leaving Hyd early morning


Roads near Adilabad


Entering Nagpur


On the way to MP from Nagpur via NH44 near Dighori


Entering Pench National Park Area


Coffee Break @ Villa 44 right after Pench


Night Stay @ Jabalpur


Indian Coffee House in Maihar on the way to Katni, Day 2



The real pain in the journey, Katni Bypass




Satna to Chitrakoot, 2 way narrow road


MPT Mandakini Resort in Chitrakoot




Entering Bundelkhand Expressway


On the Agra - Lucknow Expressway Rest Area near Saifai. Notice the pollution levels.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by ankitsharma

Stopped at Villa 44 near Pench National Park around 4 PM for a quick coffee break. This place is newly built and maintained. Clean and clear.

Reached Jabalpur around 7 PM, stayed at Royal Orbit Fern with one fuel break around Seoni. Roads were mostly good.

Left Jabalpur at 8:30 AM on 5th Nov towards NH 30. Roads were very good till Sihora but on approaching towards Katni became bad. The entire stretch of Katni is under construction with heavy truck traffic. At some stretches there are no roads and only gravel. Crossing Katni was a pain. But roads became smooth again after Katni till Maihar.
Stopped at Indian Coffee House near Maihar around 11 AM. The place is really good for coffee as well as breakfast. Clean washrooms and good south indian food.
Left Maihar at around 11:40 AM towards Satna. Roads were good but the traffic was very heavy. This highway take you through Satna and hence you encounter the city traffic in full.

Villa 44 is indeed a good place. They do not have AC etc though. A few kms before Villa 44, you have MHKS also, a good place for lunch if you manage to cross Nagpur by 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm. Whenever I drive from Hyderabad to Lucknow, I follow the same timings as yours and I stop for stay at Seoni (usually I reach Seoni by 5.00 pm).

I know the Indian Coffee House at Maihar too, a good place it must be. One is there in Seoni Town also.

I realised that taking Katni town would be a better idea.

But I wonder why you went to Jabalpur while driving to Delhi/Ghaziabad. You could have driven to Sagar and stayed there and then proceeded to Jhansi - Gwalior - Agra, would have been easier.

Good drive... 👍

[ankitsharma]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

Villa 44 is indeed a good place. They do not have AC etc though. A few kms before Villa 44, you have MHKS also, a good place for lunch if you manage to cross Nagpur by 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm. Whenever I drive from Hyderabad to Lucknow, I follow the same timings as yours and I stop for stay at Seoni (usually I reach Seoni by 5.00 pm).

I know the Indian Coffee House at Maihar too, a good place it must be. One is there in Seoni Town also.

I realised that taking Katni town would be a better idea.

But I wonder why you went to Jabalpur while driving to Delhi/Ghaziabad. You could have driven to Sagar and stayed there and then proceeded to Jhansi - Gwalior - Agra, would have been easier.

Good drive... 👍

Well we have done Sagar - Jhansi - Gwalior multiple times and hence wanted to try this new route via Katni and then towards Bundelkhand Eway. Last time in May 23 when moving to Hyd we took Bundelkhand Eway and it was in pretty good shape.
But we learnt our lesson to not take this Bundelkhand stretch again.

Thanks for informing about Indian Coffee House in Seoni. BTW where do you stop in Seoni ?

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by ankitsharma

Well we have done Sagar - Jhansi - Gwalior multiple times and hence wanted to try this new route via Katni and then towards Bundelkhand Eway.
Thanks for informing about Indian Coffee House in Seoni. BTW where do you stop in Seoni ?

I also used to take the Jhansi - Lakhnadon route whenever I drove towards Hyderabad from Lucknow. But in May 2023, I shifted to Allahabad - Rewa - Jabalpur route, which is shorter by 80 kms for me. It is by this year only, this route became properly usable with four laning done in most parts, except for the Rewa and Katni bypasses.

But I must say that the Jhansi - Lakhnadon section (415 kms) is a clean route to drive, with very less traffic.

In both the directions in the Lucknow - Hyderabad sections, I prefer to stay at Seoni, at Rajwada Grand. Sometimes, booking in advance becomes necessary because usually this is a function venue hotel. But a comfortable place for an overnight stay.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ankitsharma

Well we have done Sagar - Jhansi - Gwalior multiple times and hence wanted to try this new route via Katni and then towards Bundelkhand Eway. Last time in May 23 when moving to Hyd we took Bundelkhand Eway and it was in pretty good shape.
But we learnt our lesson to not take this Bundelkhand stretch again.

Am surprised on reading about the Bundelkhand expressway. Is it not the newly opened one?

Are you saying it's not fully done? Or its completed but still very bad?

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

A few kms before Villa 44, you have MHKS also, a good place for lunch if you manage to cross Nagpur by 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm.

I know the Indian Coffee House at Maihar too, a good place it must be. One is there in Seoni Town also.

Thank you for these recommendations.

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

But I wonder why you went to Jabalpur while driving to Delhi/Ghaziabad. You could have driven to Sagar and stayed there and then proceeded to Jhansi - Gwalior - Agra, would have been easier.

I took it because the condition of highways in Madhya Pradesh was absolutely pathetic in September, 2023. I have never seen MP highways potholed to this extent in the last decade or so. This will put even MH potholes to shame! So, we were just trying to avoid the Lalitpur-Lakhnadon section on our way South.

Originally Posted by ampere

Am surprised on reading about the Bundelkhand expressway. Is it not the newly opened one?

Are you saying it's not fully done? Or its completed but still very bad?

It is the newly opened one. It is fully finished. But the mining trucks have dug into the northbound lanes north of Orai till Agra-Lucknow expressway so much that it's pretty much undrivable at triple digit speeds.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by bordeaux

It is the newly opened one. It is fully finished. But the mining trucks have dug into the northbound lanes north of Orai till Agra-Lucknow expressway so much that it's pretty much undrivable at triple digit speeds.

Wow! A newly opened expressway and is already down to this? Hasn't this come under the scanner of authorities or public outcry?

Also would like to read more on how the traffic density here has scaled post its inception.

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by ampere

Wow! A newly expressway and is already down to this? Hasn't come under the scanner authorities or public outcry?

Also would like to read more on how the traffic density here has scaled post its inception.

Not much traffic really. Was mostly empty on the two occasions we used it. Partly because the toll is very expensive compared to national highways. I guess it's something around Rs. 2.5/KM. Another reason is that it doesn't really connect anything significant. Most towns on the way are Tier 3-4 towns. There is no population along the way as well.

This looks more like an investment for the future where govt expects the industrial investment to pick up along this 300 KMs stretch because there is an expressway and vast empty & cheap land parcels are available everywhere. Bundelkhand region has been a neglected part of UP and this expressway can truly be a gamechanger for this region.

[ankitsharma]

Originally Posted by ampere

Am surprised on reading about the Bundelkhand expressway. Is it not the newly opened one?

Are you saying it's not fully done? Or its completed but still very bad?

Yes the expressway was completed late last year and was inaugurated by our PM himself. The northern leg is in very bad shape till it joins Agra - Lucknow expressway.
As bordeaux has posted, it is still not a significant traffic road and hence not much maintenance. The roads were bad even when this was inaugurated.

[sam_sant2005]

Hi Folks,

After my 5000 kms solo drive in Oct covering Blr-Nag-Lucknow-Agra-Lucknow-Indore-Pune-Blr, I am planning my next trip aiming at Manali with stopover at a friends place in Gurgaon. Please suggest a best route for Bangalore to Gurgaon. I drive a Virtus GT and hence can maintain good speeds, but would like to avoid those highways with huge potholes like the once near Sagar-Jhansi side. I plan to drive 1000-1200 kms per day.

[Dosojin]

Thinking of doing Hyd-Nagpur-Jhansi-Noida in May. How bad is the stretch around Sagar?

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Dosojin

Thinking of doing Hyd-Nagpur-Jhansi-Noida in May.

In December I came through Kota-Biaora-Bhopal-Nagpur from Jaipur because those who drove in November and early December complained of craters and surprise potholes on Jhansi-Nagpur.

May is quite sometime away. You'll have to wait and watch for updates closer to your drive.

[Dosojin]

Originally Posted by narayans80

In December I came through Kota-Biaora-Bhopal-Nagpur from Jaipur because those who drove in November and early December complained of craters and surprise potholes on Jhansi-Nagpur.

May is quite sometime away. You'll have to wait and watch for updates closer to your drive.

Thanks. How was the stretch? Is it 4 lane all the way till NE4?

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Dosojin

Thanks. How was the stretch? Is it 4 lane all the way till NE4?

Hyderabad-Nagpur is well known
Nagpur-Betul is fully 4-lane
Betul-Bhopal has about 10 km worth forest and ghat roads that are 2-lane and about 10-15 km worth road near Bhimbetka that's mediocre to bad.

Bhopal-Biaora is 4-laned

Biaora-Aklera is wide 2-laned

Aklera-Jaipur bypass and Lalsot is fully 4-laned

Kamareddy-ORR entry about 2 hours
Biaora-Kamareddy took 13 hours including 2 hours for breakfast and lunch.
Jaipur-Biaora was about 10 hours including Garadia Mahadev visit and a long lunch at Kota.