[punerookie]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Its easily doable in 12-13 hrs at a steady speed of 90-100.

Most people say that it definitely takes 15 hours, and don't recommend driving more than 450 kms in a day at a stretch. Moreover, I don't drive regularly on long routes. Would you still recommend the trip in a single day or break it up?

Staying in hotels during Covid times is obviously not the safest option, hence looking for reputed hotels in the route that I can depend on. E.g. stayed in Marriot in Hyd during the peak of Covid and it was safe & hygienic.

Originally Posted by Hayek

Started at 5 am this morning from the Ginger.

Thanks for the succinct trip summary. I stay in Pune and will be starting from Baner (very close to Ginger hotel) and intend to make a stopover for night effectively breaking the trip into two easily manageable chunks of non-tiring day-time driving. Where do you suggest I stay? Belgaum, Hubli or anywhere else? Thanks for your help.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by punerookie

Where do you suggest I stay? Belgaum, Hubli or anywhere else? Thanks for your help.

Think Belgaum is too close to Pune to make a logical halt. From my experience, reaching Bangalore from Pune is very doable with a 5 am start - I reached at 4 PM (perhaps because I was alone) but 6 PM should be easily achievable. If you nevertheless want to break your journey, I would recommend Hubli rather than Belgaum - I crossed Hubli by 11:10 with a 5 am start - even if you started by 630 am and hence made slower progress, you should reach Hubli by the early evening. Would not advise you to leave later than 630 - all a late departure means is more traffic and frustration along the way.

[ccnarayanan]

Hubli would be somewhat half way between Pune and Bangalore.

[alokn87]

Originally Posted by punerookie

1. Planning to stop at Belgaum for one night and then another night somewhere between Belgaum and Bengaluru. What do you suggest? I have seen people stop only for one night, but it's 10+ hours from Belgaum to Bangalore, looks too tiring.

3. Any good hygienic hotel suggestions (price no bar) for stayovers at night with safe car parking.

Hi Punerookie, Since this is your first real road trip I would suggest you to leave as early in the morning as possible, you will find the experience much more enjoyable.In case you encounter fog in the morning (which is common in this season) just park at a petrol pump or a hotel/restaurant instead of stopping on the side of the highway.This is sugarcane cutting season too- Be patient and careful while overtaking sugarcane filled tractor trollies,they will keep you company till Dharwad.

One night stay will be more than enough to break your journey.If you are looking at a 5 star property then your only options on this route are Fairfield Marriott at kakti(Belgavi) and denisson's in Hubbali.Preferably stay at hubbbali since it's a convenient 450 kms from pune and further similar distance to Bengaluru. All the best!

[ghodlur]

Completed my Pune Bangalore run in the new Harrier. Started from Pune at 5.10 am, reached Bangalore at 5 pm. Door to door was 11.5 hrs. 2 stops for tea, lunch and breakfast on the go. I stopped somewhere 25 kms before Belgaum and 10 kms after Chitradurga. The city traffic in Bangalore took almost 40 mins due to the flyover closure at Goreguntapalya.

Even after leaving at 5 am, still got the 2 wheeler traffic from 20 kms before of Kolhapur which continued till Nipani. Add to fog slowed down by another 10 off mins.

There are 3 diversions in Pune - Satara stretches and the road is broken at many places I guess the repair work would start soon. Also there are 2 diversion post Hubli. Rest of the roads in KA are by far the best except for that irritating 30 kms 2 lane stretch which tests the patience of any driver. There was a light drizzle in KA making the roads a bit wet for high speed driving.

Had fueled up at BPCL Coco post Kognoli toll in KA as suggested by Parag, many thanks to him.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Even after leaving at 5 am, still got the 2 wheeler traffic from 20 kms before of Kolhapur which continued till Nipani. Add to fog slowed down by another 10 off mins.

I have been telling about the traffic between Islampur Industrial area before Kolhapur till Kognoli since may years now and how one needs to avoid this stretch and hence plan accordingly.

From Pune, you can avoid this with 4am start only so that you are around Islampur by 7am with easy driving. This is also applicable when someone takes a halt at Belgaum and starts next day towards Pune/Mumbai:

Originally Posted by paragsachania

[*]You cross quite a few busy clusters starting with Kagal, Kolhapur Bypass, Islampur Industrial area, Karad & Satara bypass followed by Shirval to Katraj. These clusters also ensure that due to misc traffic your speeds remain in control even if you want to drive fast

Originally Posted by paragsachania

[*]Starting from Belgaum even at 0730 means you will cross Kagal-MIDC Kolhapur-Islampur section during peak morning time and encounter a lot of 2 wheelers and rickshaws ferrying industrial workers. If you are at Kolhapur already and start at 0730, you may nearly avoid all this completely.[/list]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Better to start at 0400 or 0430 Max. This will ensure that you cross Kagal Kolhapur Islampur section before it's peak industrial time.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The advantage to leave super early helps you kill 2 birds in a shot - Beat outgoing traffic of Pune and also cross Islampur - Kolhapur before factories open here.

And this is also applicable for Sundays too:

Originally Posted by paragsachania

• Most Industries are closed on Sundays; Kolhapur, Islampur, Karad, Shirwal have a lot of industrial labor crowd who will be on bikes with their family on rides to some place around and will occupy the highway, big time

To me, for onward journey, the best that has worked so far to avoid this traffic:

- 4 am start from Pune towards Bangalore
- 1 pm start from Bangalore towards Pune
- 4 am start from Belgaum towards Pune

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

- 4 am start from Pune towards Bangalore
- 1 pm start from Bangalore towards Pune
- 4 am start from Belgaum towards Pune

noon-ish start from Pune side is great too. You reach Kolhapur McDonalds around that 2:45-3:00 hour ballpark. I've started from Shirdi 7am done this timing 3 times.

The disadvantages I see are:

* Crossing Pune from east to west end at this timing. Takes 1.5 hours.
* You land Dharwad-Hubli at evening peak hours, takes about 40-45 minutes.

This is a tradeoff for peaceful drive in Pune-Kolhapur and Tumkur-Bangalore sectors.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I have been telling about the traffic between Islampur Industrial area before Kolhapur till Kognoli since may years now and how one needs to avoid this stretch and hence plan accordingly.

From Pune, you can avoid this with 4am start only so that you are around Islampur by 7am with easy driving. This is also applicable when someone takes a halt at Belgaum and starts next day towards Pune/Mumbai:

Agreed Parag. The issue is not with the two wheelers, issue is with the way people drive 2 wheelers. Imagine 3 2wheelers adjacent to one another with riders chatting and driving at 30-40 kmph occupying an entire lane refusing to acknowledge light flashing, honking etc. I was surprised to see so many 2 wheeler on a sunday when the industries are generally closed. Hell why would they want to move out at 7 am in the morning when none of the bikers looked like family trips. Beats me.

In addition the truck traffic was also heavier than usual being Sunday.

[punerookie]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

To me, for onward journey, the best that has worked so far to avoid this traffic:

- 4 am start from Pune towards Bangalore
- 1 pm start from Bangalore towards Pune
- 4 am start from Belgaum towards Pune

Thanks for the valuable insights.

I'm planning a PUN to BLR trip with one night stopover at Hubli (either Naveen lakeside or President Hotel; shortlisted because both are on the highway),
1. Do you still recommend I leave Pune by 4AM?
2. What what time do you recommend I leave Hubli the next day so that I reach HSR in the most efficient way?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

The city traffic in Bangalore took almost 40 mins due to the flyover closure at Goreguntapalya.

So assuming you took the Tumkur road below the flyover ? Did you still need to pay the toll ?

If you stay near Yelahanka or the airport, going via Dabaspet is another option.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by NPV

So assuming you took the Tumkur road below the flyover ? Did you still need to pay the toll ?

Technically yes if one takes the main carriageway and not the service road because the toll booth is for the entire stretch of Nelamangala to Yeshwantpur. The 4km flyover is only part of it.

If you stay near Yelahanka or the airport, going via Dabaspet is another option.

I had mentioned it last week that how taking Dabaspet option is no longer viable because the work has gain tremendous traction and due to this there are now too many diversions and speedbreakers on this stretch wherever new bridges are coming up and pillars are erected. This is based on the "latest road conditions", as latest as November and I am sure that wont change at least till the mid of this year.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Dabaspete Doddaballapura 4 Lane work gains momentum:

During my return from Rajkot last Sunday, I diverted towards Doddaballapura at Dabaspete as traffic towards Nelamangala was building up significantly even on a late Sunday morning.

I was pleasantly surprised to witness tremendous progress in terms of 4 lane expansion work between Dabaspete and Doddaballapura. Even the narrow entry at Dabaspete is now widened after all the buildings were totally demolished as you can notice from the before and after images below:

Further ahead, there are a lot of places where they have erected concrete pillars to overpass and flyovers crossing intersections and trust me, there were a lot of construction vehicles and staff at work at each of these sites.

There were also sections on this road where they have widened the older road to proper 4 lane that spans at least 3-4 km at a stretch. If the pace of work continues, I am sure this road should be all done (minus the bridges) in the next 6-8 months.

The best bet to reach Hebbal is via Nelamangala - Hesarghatta, which partially includes the route that you once took (Madhure - Nelamangala). I had responded to Ghodlur on another thread where he had asked this.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Option 1: Dabasete Doddaballapura Yelahanka

During November 2021, I had reported massive expansion work soon after Dabaspete towards Doddaballapura with a lot of speedbreakers. I had also mentioned how it may not be a viable option as of now due to this work as I too realised it was not worth it.


Option 2: Nelamangala Gollahalli Hesarghatta CRPF (YNK) Yelahanaka

In this road, please remember that around 4-5 km soon after crossing Nelamangala town is work in progress due to expansion. This 4-5 km stretch is bad, with potholes and rough surfaces throughout but only till Gollahalli Railway station after which you fork out towards Hesarghatta. From here the road all the way is good.

Between the above 2, given the current state of Dabaspete Doddaballapura stretch, I will pick option 2. In summary, if you can accept the fact that the first 4-5 km stretch with option 2 is something you cannot escape but the better part of the road starts soon after, please consider taking this route.

[vivek95]

Good discussion here but let's also talk about folks who start from Mumbai like me I rarely drive directly to Bangalore, since 8 out of my 10 drives are on Mumbai--Belgaum--Mumbai sector. But its a known fact that one doesn't have to absolutely plan for driving on Karnataka part of NH4 from Kognoli to Bangalore. There is very less highway traffic at any given point of time when compared to the umpteen vehicles you see in Maharashtra between Kagal-Kolhapur-Pune-Mumbai ( this trend continues in GJ till Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad ). Also, most importantly there are no ghat sections in Karnataka. In Maharashtra, its the combined effect of topography, industrial belts, umpteen tourist destinations and closely located major cities with Pune, Mumbai being huge metros situated just 80 kms apart that compels one to plan departure accordingly. Kolhapur--Pune is a common stretch for many many destinations.

For Mumbai as a starting point, there is not even a single time slot where you can ensure that you will beat all the hassles on the way, unless you want to start at unearthly hours like 2 a.m , 3 a.m. I have literally tried every single time slot for my drives to Belgaum and back and I have realised you can only be partially successful , no matter what strategy you come up with. The crawling truck traffic and resulting long traffic snarls on the ghat section of Mumbai--Pune Expressway is a big challenge and will test your patience. Let me elaborate on some normal starting time frames from Mumbai.

1. 4 a.m seems to be a favourite on Team BHP. Well, a 4 a.m start from Mumbai ( lets consider SoBo, western suburbs, Eastern suburbs and Thane as starting points ), will get you out of the city at the Panvel end after minimum 35 - 60 mins. With this, you will hit the start of Pune bypass only by 5:30 - 6:00 a.m. Note that, this is after considering a non-stop drive with no halt at the Foodmall. From 6 a.m onwards, there is no way on earth you can escape the Pune--Kolhapur--Kagal traffic especially the miscellaneous two wheeler and other local 4 wheeler traffic. The only plus side is that there are generally no traffic snarls on the Khandala-Lonavala ghat stretch of Mumbai--Pune Expressway at this hour ( 4 a.m onwards ). However, on the flip side, Mumbai--Pune Expressway is the most unpredictable. I have been stuck in long traffic snarls or extremely slow moving traffic on the ghat section of Expressway at every possible time frame. Its a gamble.

2. Lets not even talk about a 5 a.m and beyond start from Mumbai. Enough discussed already on this thread.

3. Afternoon 1pm to 3pm start from Mumbai may again pamper you with a smooth drive till Pune with generally no crawling heavy truck traffic on Expressway but what's the point, when Pune and beyond is going to be a mess.

4. 4 pm to 7pm start from Mumbai means enduring the crazy city traffic which will drain you out by the time you hit Expressway at Panvel.

5. 7pm to 9pm is a gamble again as far as ghat section on Expressway is concerned but somehow this is relatively better as Pune--Kolhapur stretch will surely be way peaceful. If you don't mind overnight driving till Kolhapur/Belgaum/Goa, then this slot works good to a large extent.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by NPV

So assuming you took the Tumkur road below the flyover ? Did you still need to pay the toll ?

If you stay near Yelahanka or the airport, going via Dabaspet is another option.

Actually I kind of got trapped in that Tumkur rd below the flyover coz when I was at Tumkur it was all green with a couple of orange patches. Hence decided to take the route since the Dabaspet-Doddaballapur & Nelamanagala Doddaballapur routes were unknown to me though Parag had suggested to take the latter. However I got some respite when I took the alternate route to Hebbal which was through NH75 where the traffic was low and you could bypass the entire Yeshwantpur part. But the closure of flyover is seriously hampering the movement of traffic

[AnandAndy]

Hello Parag,
You discussed about the alternatives to Nelmangala - Yashwantpur patch when coming to Banglore for people from Hebbal/Yelehanka.
Is there any such options for those going towards Marathalli/Whitefield?
Please also share some light on taking NICE ring road from electronic city(to/from whitefield) as well.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by punerookie

Do you still recommend I leave Pune by 4AM?

In general, the idea is to beat the messy traffic between Karad and Kagal. Bu starting at later hours you may only spend some extra time due to traffic and some irritation too but nothing else.

2. What what time do you recommend I leave Hubli the next day so that I reach HSR in the most efficient way?

Hubli to Bangalore is going to be extremely easy. Even if you leave at 7 or 8am, you will reach NICE road by 1:30/2:00pm and from here another 45 minutes to HSR layout.

What you should not do is a departure from Hubli between 11:00 and 1:00pm which is going to make you enter Bangalore during peak evening traffic. Anytime before this is a good time.

Originally Posted by AnandAndy

Please also share some light on taking NICE ring road from electronic city(to/from whitefield) as well.

This makes sense but travel time after Electronics City to Whitefield can be not-so-reliable depending on traffic conditions.

However, even for these areas, you can still consider taking Nelamangala - Hesarghatta Road Yelahanka Hebbal and reach Marathalli/Whitefield via outer ring road.

The only other option I can think of is NICE road - Exit at PESIT - JP Nagar Silkboard and then ORR to destination but again with this road too, traffic can be iffy.