Bangalore to Pune via NH48: Improved route but caution still needed

Don’t be fooled by their appearance from a distance. Hitting them at speed delivers a nerve-racking thud through the tyres and suspension.

BHPian IamGetz recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Reached Pune today afternoon via the NH48 route via Belgavi, Kolhapur, Satara and Pune.

Since my earlier visit last year, there has been a marked improvement in the quality of service roads near most of the diversions.

There are a few diversions starting from Belgavi and then more service road diversions from Kolhapur to Karad.

I saw work ongoing on the third lane being added as part of the new development.

This has definitely helped improve manoeuvering space, especially when faced with one slow truck overtaking another loaded container truck.

My progress from Belgavi to Satara was much faster than I had anticipated. Lighter traffic volume today definitely helped travel faster

As repeated by others, things to watch out for:

• Unmarked speed bumps, especially on the service roads in MH. Watch out for them if you value your vehicle suspension, as they are really nasty.

• Some of the finished roads in MH do not roll smoothly onto the old roads. At higher speeds, it will feel like travelling over a sharp hump with a load thud from the tyre/suspension.

• The rumbler strips near Katraj (approaching Pune) should be approached with caution and lower speeds. From a distance, they look like usual rumblers which we tend to speed over. However, these have a deceptive depth which gives a nerve-racking thud from the tyre/suspension when you accidentally roll over them at speed.

All in all, this route has improved considerably since my last year's visit.

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