Drove from Mumbai to Delhi & back: Route, travel time & road updates

There is marginal difference in taking NH48 or NE4 from Ankleshwar to Vadodara. It depends on current traffic conditions.

BHPian rajcs recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Travelled from Mumbai to Delhi on 04/05 March and returned on 09/10 March, travelling further north to Nainital and Rishikesh in between.

Enroute halts:

• Private residence at Vadodara during Mumbai - Delhi leg.
• Raj Palace Resort, Sawai Madhopur during Delhi- Mumbai leg.

Travel time including halts:

• Navi Mumbai to Vadodara : 9AM to 6PM.
• Vadodara to Delhi : 8:30 AM to 11 PM.
• Delhi (NOIDA) to Sawai Madhopur : 3.30 PM to 8:30PM
• Sawai Madhopur to Mumbai:5:30 AM to 11:30 PM.

Route:

• Mostly as per Google Maps and Mappls.
• Navi Mumbai >> Vadodara : NH48 till Ankleshwar and NE4 to Vadodara.
• Vadodara >> Delhi : SH till Godhra; NH47 from Godhra to Gelarkalan; SH to Tandla interchange via Meghnagar; NE4 to Chechat interchange; SH and NH 52 to Gopalpura interchange via Modak; NE4 to Laban interchange; Lalsot-Kota Mega Highway to Sawai Madhopur interchange; NE4 to Gurugram via Sohna road; NH48 from Gurugram to Delhi Aerocity.
• NOIDA >> Sawai Madhopur: DND-KMP Expressway to NE4; NE4 to Sawai Madhopur interchange; NH552 to Sawai Madhopur.
• Sawai Madhopur >> Navi Mumbai: NH552 and Lalsot-Kota Mega Highway to Laban interchange; NE4 to Gopalpura interchange. NH52 and SH via Modak to Chechat interchange; NE4 to Ratlam exit; NH156 to Nagda; SH to Dhar; NH347C to join NH52 at Sirsodiya; NH52 to Dhule; NH60 to Nashik; AH47 (Agra Highway) to Thane and further to Navi Mumbai.

Road status Updates:

• NH48 road works for white-topping in Vasai - Talasari stretch is mostly complete. However, there are a few stretches where work is still going on and causing major traffic snarls. Also the road quality in completed sections is too bumpy for anything more than 80kmph.
• There is marginal difference in taking NH48 or NE4 from Ankleshwar to Vadodara. It depends on current traffic conditions. Go by Google Maps recommendations.
• Gujarat section of NE4 from Vadodara to Thandla is still not ready. Need to take SH and NH47 via Halol / Godhra to Thandla interchange.
• NE4 from Thandla to Chechat interchange has sparse traffic and good surface. Enroute rest stops are barely functional and food is limited to Maggy and tea.
• Path Recharge (I love their logo) are setting up EV recharge stations at most rest stops. Will enable EV travel on NE4 once these are fully functional.
• Link Road between Chechat interchange and NH52 at Morak overbridge has been resurfaced and there are no traffic jams.
• Mukandara underpass on NH52 remains a bottle neck with single lane traffic for about 10 km. Can be held up in traffic here for upto an hour.
• 80km section of NE4 between Gopalpura and Laban interchanges bypassing Kota is a new addition since my travel six months back. Good surface and sparse traffic with no functional rest stops as I could see. Overall one needs to be self sufficient in terms of food and water while traversing Rajasthan and MP sections of NE4.
• Red wattled lapwigs are plenty on this stretch, probably picking up dropped grains or dead insects. They are slow movers and need to honk to move them out of the way. I hit one and it got stuck into my car's front grille. Terribly sorry for that.
• Lalsot-Kota Mega(!) Highway between Laban interchange and Sawai Madhopur interchange is still a pain to cross. Lots of truck traffic and many unmarked bumps to test your car's shock absorbers.
• NE4 from Sawai Madhopur to Sohna Road still requires you to exit and re-enter at Chimanpura for toll payments. This section is functional for over a year now and toll reprogramming should have been completed by now for permitting through travel.
• There are many sections in Sawai Madhopur to Sohna road NE4 which are under repair. The barricades do not have flashing lights for indicating lane closures at night. At 120 kmph, an unmarked lane closure can severely test the stopping distance and ABS.
• Trucks are now hogging the high speed lane. Cars are weaving between lanes at over 100 kmph.
• Unofficial eateries have come up in some sections providing food across the barriers to trucks stopped on the shoulder, possibly for the Ramadan fast breaking. Hopefully they will not become a permanent fixture.
• There is no cure for Gurgaon - Delhi traffic snarls.
• NOIDA to NE4 is now a breeze thanks to the DND-KMP expressway.
• Delhi to Mumbai via Dhule is also a good option with similar travel time as via Vadodara.
• Work on Mumbai-Kasara Ghat section of Agra Highway is still in progress at certain sections leading to slow traffic.

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