[nadbe]

I did pune nagpur on 24th Dec, started at 4.45am and reached nagpur at around 2.45pm with 1 hour break before aurangabad. Took the samruddhi from waluj interchange near Fatiyabad.Harsul sawangi interchange is around 25km ahead of this waluj interchange (after aurangabad).

Samurddhi mahamarg was fantastic as everyone already mentioned. Not much traffic and it took around 4.5hrs to nagpur for around 470km.

On the downside , we just put cruise and do nothing...Difficult to just sit there with hands on wheels. Even the roads are straight, so one might feel dizzy/sleepy just looking straight continuously, so one has to concentrate hard .Better to have someone to have conversation with us. I personally felt that concentration and alertness on normal highway is high as we encounter turns, some traffic, some crazy traffic and drivers to keep us busy.

Anyway it's a game changer highway.Once pune aurangabad highway also gets completed , pune nagpur may well be less than 8 hours..So an unplanned trip may always be on the card : -)

[Meer]

Perfect review Nadbe, I also did the Pune - Nagpur yesterday night, followed Pune - Aurangabad - Nagpur route. Started from a friend's place after Khadakwasla lake at 11:10 PM and reached Nagpur 8:25 AM today morning, around 1 hour total stops including snacks, bio breaks and fueling.

Key feedback points:
1. As per suggestion from the group in this thread, I put the Harsul Sawangi Interchange as interim point, but thankfully google maps it took me through the Maliwada Interchange near Fatiyabad, so after you cross Waluj industrial estate, you need to take left onto Dhule - Mumbai Highway (usually you take a right for the new Aurangabad bypass at the same place). Around 15 kms after this turn you see enough sign boards for Samruddhi expressway. I fueled just before and confirmed the route as well with the fuel guy.

2. Pune traffic was almost minimal at this time, some traffic at FC road and then at the signals was all. The road is patched up and also very undulating, so keep the speeds in check.

3. Another lovely surprise was the Ahmednagar flyover was ready, google still asked me to go from below but I took a chance, it was a breeze, amazing work done, avoids the entire slow stretch through the main city.

4. I cannot sing enough praises about the Samruddhi expressway, amazing work, minimal turns, good banking provided, very well lit as also lane markings at some places with lights. Only fly in the ointment is no utility on the way, nothing at all at night particularly, some petrol bunks looked operational. Watch out for the lanes going into service area, they have been blocked with concrete and you see it very late in the night time. So take it slow if you are exploring these lanes.

5. Animals - this was my biggest worry having read so many news items and updates on Team-bhp. I encountered a few dogs but they did not cross or come closer. But I did see remnants of dead animals, hope the animal overpasses work well.

6. You can easily do this stretch in less than 4 hours. I put the cruise control for 118 kms and hardly had to disengage. Traffic was minimal - maybe encountered 60-70 vehicles in all in my direction. Watch out for trucks, some driver seem to be drowsy as they were not driving straight. They drive in the middle lane and you need to be careful with the overtaking. The Cruise control is deceiving as you realise your speed as you get closer to the vehicle to pass.

7. Fastag - could not read from overhead scanner both sides, the guy had to use the handheld, he said some issues with the reader.

8. I finally took the car out of cruise control midway, it just lulls you, especially at night. Be very careful if you are taking this route in the night. Also, advisable to come into centre lane as soon as you finish overtaking, gives you good buffer on both sides in case of any issues.

9. There is a small stretch of around 8-10 kms which is not ready on one side (Near Sindkhed Raja I believe). It does come abruptly, so watch out. I did some stretch of Samruddhi Mahamarg in July this year and did not believe it could be opened so quickly looking at the state of the work then, so great job! Overall 120 km speed limit for cars consistently except for this diversion.

10. Final words, the Expressway is super work of engineering, well thought out. It is a great template for future roads. There may be few gremlins, but these are minor when compared to what it achieves. Now if the Pune - Aurangabad connector road is ready soon, the biggest pain with respect to traffic is exiting / entering Pune!

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

Uploading a few photos.

[Piyush_DT]

We visited Shirdi, Shani Shignapur, Siddhivinayak and Dakduseth in last one week in my Saya (Xuv 700). This was all planned due to Samruddhi expressway and was total worth it.

It all started on 17th Dec 2022 from Nagpur at 0630 AM to Pune via Shirdi. The Nagpur to Shirdi took approximately 4.5 hrs with average 106 km/hr speed. The traffic was very less and you can just cruise and enjoy the ride, the road and your machine. Total toll amount was ₹1075 (900 at 100 at Hiwargaon and 75 at Chalakwadi).

I came back to Nagpur on 24th Dec 2022 via Shani Shignapur. I started the journey from Pune at 0530 AM and reached Nagpur via Fatiyabad entry after doing darshan at Shani Shignapur. The total amount paid was ₹840 (775 at Waifal and 65 at Karodi).

Observations

1. Even if you have enough fuel, please make sure to have full tank cause when you go at 120 or above speed you consume more fuel and the range shown by the car doesn't make sense.

2. Make sure you have spare tyre. However, I am not sure how anybody would manage if it's spare tyre can only go for 80 kms. There are stretches which are more than 80 kms and you don't have any petrol bunk where you can fix your punctured tyre.

3. If you are driving first half on highway then it's easy as your are not tired and are excited. However, if you are on highway at later part then it may become difficult for some time as it makes you lethargic and boring and you may lose focus. Hence, have somebody to keep you entertain and don't eat huge meals to make you sleepy.

4. You can take break and eat food and take bio break at petrol bunks. They have toilets and some have tea/coffee.

5. The expressway is just amazing and people with ADAS and Cruise control are going to benefit the most.

6. Last but not the least and very important. Please be alert all the time as you may feel it's very easy with no traffic and very good road. You can see dead animals and dogs on the highways. For me it was monkey, from a very far distance, I saw group of monkey crossing the road. Driving is all about assumptions and I knew that there could be one monkey left out and may try to cross the road so I started slowing the car speed. To my good or bad luck I saw monkey crossing the road and I knew monkey would collide with me and I started applying breaks and reducing the speed significantly (thanks to Xuv 700 breaking). The monkey collided and it knew where to collide so the collusion doesn't kill it. I literally drove over him thinking I would have killed it and saw the rear view mirror and was happy to see alive and running back to where he came from. I got down checked the car and there was no scratch or bump which showed I ran over a monkey. My mother said it was Shani bhagwan and Hanumanji which saved the monkey and us from a sin because we did darshan that day at Shani Shignapur.

Luckily the dash cam captured the moment. Uploading few photos along with video of front and back camera.

http://youtu.be/ASIIHbz68hg

http://youtu.be/4iyz6BieBwo

[RashmiRathi]

I did the stretch from Shirdi to Aurangabad and then another stretch from Aurangabad to Mehkar to visit Lonar. Few pointers from my side:
1. Absolutely a pleasure to drive on the highway. Managed to get average of 115 on the whole stretch.
2. It's just less stressful. Even after driving for 1-2 hours your are completley fresh.
3. It feels very safe.

However some pointers:
1. It's very poorly marked in Google maps. I think Google maps is still figuring it out. So do your own research before taking the highway.
2. No amenities on the highway.
3. Approach roads are very poorly marked.

I am sure all these niggles will go away in few months.

However, my final verdict is that this highway is a game changer.

Just waiting eagerly for my XUV700 to take it a spin on this !

[varunswnt]

I am curious to understand, why the median strip is not protected by metal crash barrier/guardrail along the entire stretch of the highway? I can see only left most lane has it while right most lane is bare open. If someone looses control and swerves to right in right most lane, then the vehicle for sure is going to end up in opposite lane resulting in head on collision. I see staying in middle lane as best bet and using right most lane only for overtaking.

Mumbai-Pune expressway too was missing these guardrails few years back, but now has it along entire stretch after many security audits and collaboration with SaveLIFE foundation non-profit organization.

Do oncoming vehicles from opposite lane cause glares during night times due to their high beams? I see median does not even have bushes to reduce/block them, guardrails would have also helped to some extent.

[Meer]

Originally Posted by Piyush_DT

For me it was monkey, from a very far distance, I saw group of monkey crossing the road. Driving is all about assumptions and I knew that there could be one monkey left out and may try to cross the road so I started slowing the car speed. To my good or bad luck I saw monkey crossing the road and I knew monkey would collide with me and I started applying breaks and reducing the speed significantly (thanks to Xuv 700 breaking). The monkey collided and it knew where to collide so the collusion doesn't kill it. I literally drove over him thinking I would have killed it and saw the rear view mirror and was happy to see alive and running back to where he came from. I got down checked the car and there was no scratch or bump which showed I ran over a monkey. My mother said it was Shani bhagwan and Hanumanji which saved the monkey and us from a sin because we did darshan that day at Shani Shignapur.

That was quick thinking on your part Piyush, when I first read I thought monkey was near the left edge of your direction where it is comparatively easier to spot, but from the middle space, it is partly camouflaged too, thank God it was all fine in the end and glad that there was no vehicle right behind you as well. Think it will take the animals some time to get used to the speeds and behaviours.

Originally Posted by varunswnt

I am curious to understand, why the median strip is not protected by metal crash barrier/guardrail along the entire stretch of the highway? I can see only left most lane has it while right most lane is bare open. If someone looses control and swerves to right in right most lane, then the vehicle for sure is going to end up in opposite lane resulting in head on collision. I see staying in middle lane as best bet and using right most lane only for overtaking.

Yeah, only the tar sections have protective barriers otherwise it is open space in the middle almost 2-3 lanes wide sloping down to the centre of the space.

Originally Posted by varunswnt

Do oncoming vehicles from opposite lane cause glares during night times due to their high beams? I see median does not even have bushes to reduce/block them, guardrails would have also helped to some extent.

You can see the glare of high beam but it is not bothersome like you experience in a highway without divider. I did see some plantations starting in the middle space near the Nagpur entrance of the expressway, so maybe it is in the works for the entire stretch.

[mygodbole]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

Do oncoming vehicles from opposite lane cause glares during night times due to their high beams?

Even at speeds of 120kmph and above, low beam is more than adequate. I drove in July from Nagpur to Pune on low beam. The low beam, when correctly positioned, is more than enough to light up the road ahead.

High beam, to my knowledge and experience, is needed only on undulating terrain, going uphill or downhill. That too only to 'see', not to blind oncoming drivers. Just view, once you have 'seen', focus on the road.

I believe this a nation-wide issue. We are all reasonably intelligent and knowledgeable, time to change to 'use dipper at night' and 'horn NOT OK please'?

[maheshm619]

Originally Posted by Piyush_DT

2. Make sure you have spare tyre. However, I am not sure how anybody would manage if it's spare tyre can only go for 80 kms. There are stretches which are more than 80 kms and you don't have any petrol bunk where you can fix your punctured tyre.

Its not 80 km but 80km/h speed limit on most spare tyres. Some car spare tyres are rated upto 120 km/h. The speed limit is coming due to space saver tyres. While driving around with a small tyre for a long time can screw up allignment, there's no harm for a few hundred kms.

One of my tyres were ripped in a huge pothole. I has used the spare tyre for a whole month till my tyre upgrade was planned.

[automind]

hi, my father wanted to visit his native city Arvi, which is at a distance of 390 Km from Aurangabad, and we had waited for the Samruddhi expressway to open for the trip. on 24th dec we traveled from Aurangabad to arvi in my w204 and took approximately 3.5 hrs to reach Arvi. The traffic was thin and one can just cruse on the expressway.

Most points are covered above some pointers on my part :-

A] The expressway is impressive with long straight roads for the most part, the quality of road side reflectors is the best i have seen in India and makes nigh driving substantially safer.

B] One has to be cautious of stray dogs and monkeys on the expressway, people are stopping cars and having food on the side of the road and either throw the remaining food on the road side or out of love for animals are offering food to monkeys and dogs, not realizing that this is attracting the animals to the expressway, and is resulting in accidents. I think at the toll naka, drivers must be instructed not to throw remaining food on the road or offer the same to animals.

C] Your car will be travelling at high speed for prolong time hence the condition of the car tyres is important, it is recommended to get wheel alignment and balancing done before embarking on the journey.
yesterday one cars tyre bursted and the vehicle turned turtle, fortunately there were no fatalities, but the fracture injuries to the occupants in the car were substantial.

[RGK]

Slight OT here:

A seasoned and elderly driver used to say earlier, When one constantly drives more on highways at high speeds,

-- Tyres wear out quickly.
-- Rings in pistons wear out quickly.

This seems to become true. As said by many, drivers need to be more cautious.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by RGK

Slight OT here:

A seasoned and elderly driver used to say earlier, When one constantly drives more on highways at high speeds,

-- Tyres wear out quickly.
-- Rings in pistons wear out quickly.

This seems to become true.

I do not think either of these points are true.

Regarding the tyres, the key is making sure the tyres are of right speed rating and they are inflated to the right air pressure. Even the basic modern tyres are usually rated H (i.e. speed rating of 210 km/h), and typically most good tyres now a days are rated V (240km/h), and most high performance tyres are rated W (270km/h). As long as one stays under the rated speed, and the tyres are properly inflated, there is no additional wear just by going fast. For a properly inflated tyres, doing highway speeds under the rated speeds is absolutely safe and fine. What causes quick tyre wear are the potholes, rough roads, off-roading, or frequent stop and go (braking and accelerating). Not the constant high speeds on the highway. They are the best conditions actually!

Regarding piston rings or any other component, again, the constant highways speeds are actually the best! The engine is at its optimal performance and health on a nice long highway drive, and will last really long if one sticks to such highway drives. The stop and go city traffic is much worse for the engine and its components than a nice fast highway drive.

In general, for a well maintained car, driven by a driver who knows how to properly drive fast without taking undue risks, the fast highway drives for long hours is the best medicine for longevity and optimal performance!

Sorry for going OT here, but since the above post made these points which are not true, had to clarify this. Let us stop any discussion on this topic here (there are other threads for that) and let us stick to discussions about Samruddhi Mahamarg here. Thanks.

[Strider24]

Can anyone also update what kind of Fuel efficiency are they getting after driving at such high speed?

My assumption is that it's not nearly as high as on gets while driving at below 90-100 kmph speed?

[revsperminute]

Originally Posted by Strider24

My assumption is that it's not nearly as high as on gets while driving at below 90-100 kmph speed?

It will depend on the car. Usually aerodynamic sedans with ample power are not affected much by high speeds. However, cars with shorter gearing, small engines and high drag coefficient will show a substantial difference in fuel economy.

[paragsachania]

Soon after throwing open the Nagpur Shirdi section of Samruddhi Mahamarg, MSRTC launched a service from Nagpur to Shirdi via expressway. The absence of any facilities on this stretch gave a compelling reason for this bus driver to park the bus right on the shoulder and you can see passengers merrily enjoying a stroll on one of the lanes.

No matter how perfectly you design an expressway or how well the markings and warning signs are, it is this attitude of our drivers that is a major reason behind all the accidents that take place.

Nagpur to Shirdi via Samruddhi Mahamarg - MSRTC

(you may have to watch this directly on YouTube)

Seeing this, I cant think but to recollect the horrific accident on the Mumbai Pune expressway few year back in 2012 that took lives of 28 people who were merely standing next to a stranded vehicle in the same way the passengers are standing here.

28 killed in bus accident on Mumbai-Pune expressway, 27 injured

A sincere request even to the members here on not to park on such fast corridors even if it is to take a few pictures of your cars. Shoulders of such expressways are not meant to park for taking pics or take a break. They are to be used in emergencies only!

[automind]

I was driving my diesel c 250 at speeds ranging from 110 Km to 125 km per hour and got a average of 15 KMPL, if I drive at speeds of 90 KMPH to 95 KMPH I get a fuel efficiency of 17.5 KMPL. But the loss of fuel efficiency is made up as the actual time to be covered to reach Nagpur is reduced.