[knshailender]

I moved from Tamilnadu to US a few of years ago. I can confidently say most roads in TN are way better than even roads here in the US. At least the 6 states I've lived in the US have uneven roads even if there are no potholes. TN on the other hand has silky smooth highways and even roads in the rural sector in TN are very well maintained.

[motoholic31]

Although I cannot contribute in the poll as I'm a newbie. However, I'm qualified to answer this question as I have driven extensively in south as well as north India which includes TN, KL, KA as well as all the North Indian States. I, without doubt, can say that the best highways and expressways are there in Uttar Pradesh, no doubt about that. I recently, did road trips from Mumbai to Delhi, Mumbai to Lucknow and Lucknow to Uttarakhand/Himanchal which covers most of the North Indian states. Expressways infra in Uttar Pradesh is miles ahead of anywhere else in the county currently. This might get changed in the near future after the construction of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

[Nav-i-gator]

If I only consider Highways, access controlled expressways and the length/coverage of such roads, Uttar pradesh is definitely the best one now. It has a lot more number of expressways, longer as well as wider, and are all relatively new so butter smooth as well. Road manners of people living in the vicinity of these highways is pathetic though.

If Kerala is a contender for smooth and largely pot hole ridden, but single lane highways (which I also think it is), we should count Uttarakhand as well as Himanchal Pradesh too. Especially the roads up north that are maintained by BRO, are juicy!

[GeeTee TSI]

With majority of my driving exploration in MH, I would rate KA and TN roads as vying for the top spot. Voted for KA on the basis of the blissful 6L AH47 stretch from Belagavi where neither the car nor the driver is stressed. Besides the quality and layout of the roads, the below average traffic density just adds to the relaxed experience (although this is subjective)

From a passenger point of view, roads with good options for food and breaks matter more and the above mentioned stretch was below average by that yardstick

[Repsol]

I have driven in KA, KL, TN, DL, UP, HR, RJ.

Out of all these, my vote goes to TN. Simple amazing roads, very well marked, good use of reflectors, etc. On the highway, when you are approaching any junction, there are clear alerts (even during night with flashing lights). Also, most of the small towns and villages have by-pass flyovers to avoid slowing down.

Worst out of the above lot is KL. Can't even call them highways. Covering 100 km takes forever, as there are no dividers, and every other vehicle will jump onto the opposite lane for overtaking slow moving truck or other vehicles. I am so pissed off driving in KL, that now I enter KL only during night.

But having said that, the quality of roads (even in small villages) is commendable. When I compare that with the roads here in KA, I just feel like crying (for the amount of road tax we are paying).

[Voodooblaster]

Though kerala has the least votes, it gets the most mentions.

Deserves a Razzie aka The Golden Raspberry

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

I find traveling in KL highways the most time consuming but scenic nevertheless.

Scenic Only when the traffic is less

Originally Posted by logicalidiot

A story which happened a couple of years back.
My brother was having tea at a small tea shop on National Highway 66 (passing through Kerala). A little later a long distance truck stopped by at the same place. It was in the evening and the truck driver looked exhausted after driving in the heavy traffic. Soon he came out and my brother casually got speaking to him. That's when the truck driver asked the question " How long is the national highway from here?". My brother chuckled a bit and when he told the guy that the road he is driving on is NH-66, the guy went bleak and refused to believe.

He was coming from the North and entered Kerala from Mangalore. He asked the question in vain after travelling about 130 kms on single lane roads. Apparently, he thought the road he was travelling is not National Highway and it is going to lead him there soon. Felt sad for him though!

Originally Posted by clevermax

If you want to have a visual sense of what I am talking about, check this video out - this shows the everyday battle of someone driving through the so-called Kerala highways!

The road stretches in the videos above are better than the NH66 stretch from Dharmadom - Thalassery - Mahe stretch. Logical idiot's story probably happened in these parts

The Kannur Thalassery Mahe bypass is proceeding at a brisk pace and will hopefully be completed before the tenure of current govt ends by 2026

The 85 year old Moidu bridge (between Thalassery and Kannur) , a part of NH66 was so narrow that only 1 bus could pass at a time. Traffic Police stood at both ends of the bridge to prevent traffic Jam. Thankfully a good Samaritan truck driver rammed and damaged the girders of the bridge beyond repair. The govt reluctantly built a 2 lane bridge.

Another similar bridge in the same NH66 is the moorad bridge between Vadakara and Payyoli. Here also 2 Traffic Police stand at both ends of the bridge to regulate traffic and prevent logjams.

Originally Posted by livelyyoungman

KL highways are with signals, too narrow and full of road rage. Always hated to drive in the state of KL.

Hate to agree with you on this

Originally Posted by GTO

The worst highways I have seen are in Kerala. Kerala simply doesn't have those kind of wide expressways that make long-distance commuting stress-free.

Unfortunately yes. The bypasses take 40 to 50 years to get completed and are obsolete when they are opened. The Kollam bypass inaugurated in 2019 is unseparated two lane NH

However if you do get the chance , please try the State Highway 1 aka MC (main central) road from Venjaramoodu (near trivandrum) to Chengannur at night. It's very curvy, and best enjoyed in low slung sedans. Be warned that the speed limit of 70kmph is very difficult to adhere to.

Unfortunately the MC road gets more than its share of accidents

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

One stretch I dont like driving is, Oddanchatram to Dindigul. Currently that stretch is nightmare.

It's part of the route connecting Coimbatore, Pollachi, Tiruppur , Palani to the southern districts of Tamilnadu. It's being converted into a 4 lane highway. Hopefully things will be better in a couple of years

Originally Posted by Maverick_4662

That said most of the State highways even though small are extremely well surfaced and still wider than the NH.

The only redeeming fact

Originally Posted by Maverick_4662

Personal favorites are - Trivandrum-Thenmala road

Try corner carving (of course within safe limits) in this stretch from Chullimanoor to Thenmala Dam

Originally Posted by warp_10

Along with this poll, we should probably have the poll for "Worst highway state in India", which will be pretty contentious.

KL will lead from front

Originally Posted by RaghavEvoX

Nothing personal against the state but I found the locals also bit hostile to outsiders. But God's own country nevertheless.

While driving in other states especially hilly states, it's always saner to give way to aggressive locally registered vehicles (the specific taluk/district)

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Worst of the highways are in Kerala. Even the express ways in Kerala has multiple signals and thus increasing the travel time.

Summary:

1) NH 66 in Kerala spans nearly 630kms (ie throughout length of the state). In the whole stretch you cannot easily guess when one town ends and the other begins except by reading address board of shops. Since it passes through schools, hospitals and industries its always saturated beyond 200% in daytime and 80 to 125% in nights. The population and vehicle density makes the situation worse.

2) While a majority are favouring TN (me included) it leads in toll expenses also

[SouravS]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

MP has made some terrific progress the last half decade or so. If one's going to MP from MH, the change in road quality when you cross over into MP is drastic enough be shocking.

Agree completely! And surprised to see the less votes MP has garnered. Would rate MH high in the deterioration that has happened in the road infrastructure, and the time taken for repairs. Agreed parts of it receive high rainfall, but still.

Guess the results would also depend on the popularity as a touristy / business destination.
Based on what I have seen in the last few years - KA, MP, TN, GJ, RJ - would be the top 5 (not in any order).

[Mr.Perera]

Voted for Tamil Nadu.
Have driven extensively in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Also have done an all India drive few years back from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and back and covered mostly all states in the country. I must say Tamil Nadu has one of the best highways. You have less stress while driving on these highways as most roads are wide, well surface and marked. The only problem in Tamil Nadu highways are the TVS XLs that appear out of nowhere from between the shrubs on the medians.
Karnataka, Maharashtra highways are also good in comparison. What I have noticed in North India in general is that the roads are fantastic. Smooth, well marked, super wide. But dodging the cows on these roads and both the driver and the cow getting out alive requires some precise steering input and eye- hand-leg coordination !
The 'WORST highways in India award' should definitely go to Kerala. For people who haven’t travelled in Kerala let me give an insight. The 3 major cities in Kerala are Trivandrum, Kochi and Calicut. To travel to Calicut from Trivandrum, one needs to travel 200 kms to Kochi and another 200 kms from Kochi to Calicut. To travel this 200 kms from one city to another it takes ‘atleast’ 5 hours ! That means if you want to travel from Trivandrum to Calicut, 10 hours is gone ! Thats is 10 hours to cover 400 kms ! Ok, so you might be thinking fine even if it takes time the journey might be good. NO ! Most of these 400 kms are mere 2 lane roads (and they call it National Highway !) , filled with potholes and craters. State Run Transport buses coming on the opposite side of the road and you having to drive outside the road to save that NCB you have accumulated. It a jungle out there ! Consider yourself lucky if you reach your destination safely or your car is in one piece.
Please note Kerala has one of the highest road tax in the country ! And this is what we get. Yes I admit, not all roads are the same, we do have some good roads also. But the road which connects the major 3 cities in the state are travelled my millions of people everyday. Think of how the economy in the state will boom if someone can travel between these cities in few hours. Attend a meeting at Kochi in the morning, then attend another client site at Calicut in the evening. This has been a long dream for us since decades ! Lots of protests, lives lost in the highways, still it's all the same. I might sound rude, but being someone who was born and brought up in this lovely state, I left my corporate job in Bangalore and started a start up in Trivandrum just because I love my hometown ! People will say Kerala is a very small state and there isn’t much real estate to make 4 and 6 lane highways. But for gods sake, atleast fill those potholes in those 2 lane highways !
To give a very simple example, shown below is what I got in a span of 3 weeks on 2 my cars.







This one is a tyre burst I got in my Karoq on the infamous National Highway when it fell on a pothole early in the morning. I was way below the speed limit and I couldn’t dodge it because the opposite lane was filled with vehicles. Luckily I was able to stop safely and me, my wife and my daughter was saved from what could have been a fatal incident. Ended up buying a new tyre for the Karoq. (Yes, paid GST and all so that it goes to the Government so that more such potholes will come.)

The second incident was just after 3 weeks after the Karoq incident. Again I was on my way from Kochi to Trivandrum. This time I was in my Octavia vRS. Like before I was driving at around 70kmph and suddenly the front left wheel fell on a pothole filled with water. I couldn’t do anything since I did not even see it. Since it was raining so badly I didn’t stop and drove the rest of the journey carefully and reached home. Next day morning this is what I saw !



I had raised this issue with many people including the Public Works Department, The State minister, NHAI and even sent mail to the Union Minister. As expected no one is ready to even respond to the matter. The Public Work department is saying the road is maintained by NHAI, and no one from NHAI is ready to look into the matter.

So the only solution left is to get a big SUV fit some steel rims and drive on our roads !

[RGK]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

NO ! Most of these 400 kms are mere 2 lane roads (and they call it National Highway !) ,

When I planned to go to Udupi from Western TN, our bhpian (Johnyboss) strictly advised me not to venture into KL highways (NH966 & NH66) as it will test my patience and so I took Dhimbam, Mysuru, Madikeri, Mangalore even though it was a longer route.

Just before Covid, I went to Snekhadeeram beach from Guruvayoor and the ~35km distance took 1 hour.

[ankitsharma]

I would say the following order of the highways that I have traversed:

1) TN
2) AP & TS
3) RJ
4) MP
5) MH
6) UP
7) KA

Explanation:

I have been to TN couple of times only but the quality of tarmac along with the reflectors is one of the best I have seen. Most of the part are well lit.
I am from UP and I can say that few of the highways are good but then majority of them are shitty. Even if the tarmac is good, civic sense is missing.
Recently did BLR -> GZB and realized AP/TS had the best highways. Good tarmac, reflectors everywhere, most of the part lit and good road sense.
Roads were good in MP and MH too but civic sense was missing on the road. Had a near miss with a truck who suddenly turned right while I was overtaking it.
Highways in KA have a lot of potholes. The only good I see is the BLR -> GOA route that too only till Dharwad.
RJ again has the best of the roads but then civic sense is a major miss.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

...

I have 2 favourites - Tamilnadu & Rajasthan.
.
.
.

Adding my dashcam footage from trips on 2 of my favorite highways.

1) All time favorite is the Aliyar to Valparai highway which is always in top condition like most roads in TN

Aliyar to Valparai

2) Jaisalmer to Barmer - Long straight and super smooth!

Jaisalmer to Barmer

[livelyyoungman]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Salem - Coimbatore (150 KM), ~1.5 hours or less
Ulundurpet - Salem (140 KM), ~1.5 hours or less
Madurai - Kanyakumari (250 KM), forget the time, this road is bliss! Used to take 5 hours to Madurai from Nagercoil before this highway came into existence. Now 3 hours is too much

All the highways that you have mentioned are often done by me as well. The Ulundurpet-Salem-Coimbatore strech is deinitely good.
Madurai-Kanyakumari has changed a lot post the highway and as you mentioned it is a blessing that we have good roads in TN

Originally Posted by pradheepsr

The cost we incur at toll booths(along NH) is exorbitantly high when compared with other states. A distance of 150kms (Tirunelveli - Madurai NH 44) would cost you approximately 250 INR one way ! That's just ridiculously expensive.

Yes expensive thanks to some insensitive politicos. Lesser I talk about this, better it is. There is a new proposal - axe as many as 32 toll plaza across TN roads. Will this be implemented, only time can answer; but if implemented then you will see an overall reduction on toll charges.

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

The 'WORST highways in India award' should definitely go to Kerala. Please note Kerala has one of the highest road tax in the country !

I second it completely. And many have also agreed to your statement as well. Worst is the tax part. Nohting much needs to be said about this.

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

To give a very simple example, shown below is what I got in a span of 3 weeks on 2 my cars.
Attachment 2206761
Attachment 2206762

Attachment 2206764
Attachment 2206763


Attachment 2206765

Really sad to see the cars damaged. Good to see that you and your family are safe.

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

So the only solution left is to get a big SUV fit some steel rims and drive on our roads !

I second it completely.

[mayukh42]

Adding another experience to the above, regarding KL highways.

I was driving to Alappuzha from Bengaluru. From Salem to Walayar it took 3 hours (with breaks), 200 kms. From Walayar to Alappuzha it took 6 hours!

It was same 200 kms, but took double the time, and this on a National Highway that connects the textile industry belt of TN to the Kochi port. In fact, scenic route from Walayar to Kuthiran notwithstanding, one comes across traffic signals on the highway in this stretch!

This is a failure of planning and execution, and there is no justification in this era when other states are leading by example. If there are busy crossings requiring a traffic signal, build flyovers. If the traffic density is high, build more lanes with service roads and barricade the service roads (just like we see in KA or TN, example: Ambur, TN).

In that trip I did not even consider returning the same route. I crossed Peermade/ Vandiperiyar and came via Dindigul. It took same time at the end, just 60 kms more and a mountain crossed, but the drive was much relaxed and it felt like a holiday, rather than an extension of the daily chores of Bengaluru.

No wonder the Thiruvanathapuram - Bengaluru Volvos "escape" their home state at Nagercoil and come via TN instead.

[msonwheels]

Hello fellow BHPians,

I am new to this forum but i have driven on the roads of UP, UK, DL, HR, PB, HP, RJ, MP, GJ and MH till now.
From my experience i can easily say that roads in RJ and GJ are the best with MP is closing the gap faster than ever.
Indore-Jhabua-Godhra strech is easily one of the best in country.

[Doppelkuplung]

Having driven in KL for 25 years it is safe to say that it isnt driver friendly at all. To me any other state is better to drive on. The reasons are crowded junctions, bad surface and generally aggressive driving habits.