Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Pune Hyderabad Route - Wait Another Year

After almost two years I tried the Pune-Hyderabad highway in my car twice in the last two weeks. Having done that I would say that unless it is absolutely mandatory you wait another year before you venture out on this highway in your car.

The big surprises are that the road between Hyderabad and Sholapur which was previously in fairly decent condition, has gone bad. The section in Karnataka is a disgrace with potholes all over the road making driving at 30 mph rather difficult. And its a long stretch mind you. This stretch of road disgusted me so much that I almost switched off the engine. Only one other stretch of road frustrated me more - another Karnataka classic - the Belgaum to Londa road which I drove then, few years ago, at less than 10 kmph. (Satish got a headache at the end of that ordeal. I did too!) No jokes. It was a long stretch too. Come on Karnataka. Pull up your socks. There are such lovely signs by your Tourism guys advertising the forts at Bidar, Gulbarga, Basavakalyan and one gets tempted to go there. But when one sees the highway in such a condition in the pre-monsoon season, one really wonders.

The Sholapur-Tmbhurni stretch is another killer with slow traffic. There are a few good stretches (toll please!) but the average speed here does not go beyond 40-45 kmph (and I did a rather early drive, before 10 a.m.). All in all the entire Pune-Hyd drive took me 10 hours which is just not worth it now with all these bad road patches, roads under construction and so on. And to think you actually pay a decent amount on toll on this road too. I'd rather wait another year for the Pune-Sholapur stretch to get done. Then, toll and all, it would be a decent drive. One option, apart form the Shatabdi are the Volvo's which do a decent time on this route. You won't feel the bumps too much in those.

As always I bumped into the zealous cops at Sholapur bypass. They are always there, stopping all passenger cars, checking for all documents. Twice before, in years gone by, the cop actually searched my bags, clothes and all. Wondering what they expected to find. In all these years I missed these zealous law upholders maybe once or twice. Today's cop only checked the documents and left out rummaging my clothes for another day.

I also had an interesting situation - or rather, two. Outside of Tembhurni as the road narrowed down suddenly, I saw a mini van in the opposite direction swerve towards me to avoid a pothole. I swerved too instinctively. I heard a yell and looked in the rear view mirror and saw a young man riding his motorcycle. He might have gotten a jolt at my swerve I thought. But no damage done as he was riding comfortably. There was an outsized box strapped on to his back seat, as big as a television or even bigger, and to add to that, he was busy talking on his mobile. After he finished talking for a few minutes, he raced me, and waved at me, asking me to pull over. I did not. There was no need to anyway and I have seen enough of such instances on this highway. I pulled down the window and asked him what he was yelling at. He went on incomprehensibly, but his main aim was to get me to stop. When I pulled up the window and continued driving he overtook me, slowed down in front of my car and tried to stop me. I did not. Finally he gave up and I moved on.

Over the years I have seen many such incidents on the highway. Once when Satish was driving, I saw two young men chasing us for well over 5 kms. They caught up near Bhigwan and left after some argument and apologies - perhaps the fact that we were in the town was why they chose to go away instead of extorting some money or trying to at least. On the way to Pune two weeks ago, I saw four youngsters on two bikes stopping an elderly truck driver and beating him up - surely for some reason like this. These incidents happen in those road stretches on the other side of Omerga towards Pune I noticed.

The second incident was this. Further down in Zaheerabad I was pulling up to the left in the city very slowly. A young lad on a motorbike was trying to overtake me at great speed from the left and he braked, having noticed my slowing down rather late. The edge of the road being sandy, the bike slipped and it was with great difficulty that he controlled it. But to his credit the young kid, who was in far greater danger than the other one, shook his head, acknowledging his mistake in trying to overtake from the left on a busy road.

And so we live and learn.

The thali at the Bharat Petroleum dhaba outside Zaheerabad (towards Hyderabad) is brilliant. Try it. I liked the butter milk too. Same goes for the food in the Hotel before Indapur - you cannot miss it. Sanman or something like that. Good clean restaurant, loos. And the Nisarg joint just outside Mohol (on the left as you go towards Sholapur) is a great breakfast joint if you get an early start. But what really gladdened my heart was the number of new joints that are springing up on either side of the new Pune-Sholapur road. They all look very inviting and clean.

Next year, life on this road looks promising indeed. Only hope that the roads from Hyderabad and Sholapur are maintained in decent condition. Hope the Roads departments in AP, Karnataka and Maharashtra are listening. Come on guys, it is not necessary that only the toll roads need to be in good condition. Even the other roads need to be maintained.

66 comments:

Rajendra said...

This is a striking contrast to the roads in Thailand, which we saw. Excellent all the way, 100 kms being the norm per hour on the highways.
Nice SUVs from Toyota too.

Anonymous said...

Blame the central (congress) govt. for the bad road condition. National Highways are the responsibility of NHAI , not the state governments. BTW..it's June 2014 and the conditions are still the same 9even worse between Solapur and Hyderabad)

Srikanth said...

Hi,

I'm planning to drive from Pune-Hyd on end of the July'14 by my new grand i10 car. could you please let me know whether it is safe to drive on NH9 with the family(wife and child)?
I know the road condition till Solapur is better, but not sure between Solapur and Hyd.

Harimohan said...

Hi Srikanth,
The Hyd-Solapur is not in great condition from what I heard. But if you are prepared for a slow ride with enough breaks, perhaps even a break in Solapur overnight, it might not be such a bad thing after all. The frustrations can set in when you want to get to the destination quickly. Do check the bhp site too, they have more recent info. I have not travelled on this road since May 2013.
Have fun and drive safe.

Anonymous said...

Hi Srikanth
Don't dare to drive on NH-9 stretch between HYD-Solapur in your own vehicle. We had travelled in our new Swift Dzire last month on this stretch and found it too difficult to drive as the entire stretch is with hell of pot holes and even at some places you don't find the road at all. Its better to travel in train/bus to pune from Hyderabad..

Rajeev Wankar said...

Last year in December we drove to Pune from Hyderabad in our Brand new Amaze along with wife son and mother in law. It was a nightmare experience. I wonder why road conditions are so bad between these important IT cities. My suggestions to all: never try this adventure on own delicate vehicles. Rajeev Wankar, Hyderabad

Harimohan said...

Thanks Rajeev, for the update. I am hoping the road gets better soon. With so many of us wanting to drive on this road it get get better fast.

Unknown said...

Never venture on this NH9.The roads are worst,it is dangerous to drive in such a delicate cars.It is the responsibility of NHAI to keep the roads in good condition.They have plenty of funds,but where are they spending.They are putting the lives of the fellow country men in danger.
It is pathetic to drive.I took 16 hours to drive from Mahabaleshwar to Hyderabad in my VW Vento petrol car and spend huge money for repairs.
Dr.F.Rehman

Harimohan said...

Thanks for sharing Dr. Rehman. I do hope that the road gets better because it opens up many wonderful driving destinations from Hyderabad. Would be a pity if the situation continued.

Harimohan said...

Thanks for sharing Dr. Rehman. I do hope that the road gets better because it opens up many wonderful driving destinations from Hyderabad. Would be a pity if the situation continued.

Anonymous said...

I drove from Hyd to Pune on July 4th 2014. Started from Lingampally at 430am and reached Pune by 1pm.
I strongly suggest covering the Hyd-Solapur road in daylight. The potholes were being repaired on our way back, until we entered Karnataka where they still exist and affect the average - I didn't cross 30kmph. If you're travelling with family and/or need to take breaks in between, please take either a train/flight.

Harimohan said...

Thanks a ton Anonymous. Now we are updated till the 4th of July, 2014 about the condition of this road. Guess we need to wait some more time before we drive on this stretch.

Auro said...

Well that's it then. I am cancelling my hyderabad trip by bike. Never thought the NH is in such a bad condition.

Harimohan said...

I spoke to my friend who drove from Mumbai to Hyderabad yesterday in his Ford Endeavour. He seemed to think it was fine. The only complaint he had was the stretch in Karnataka. Having said that even the time made by Anon - 430 am to 1 pm indicates that its passably ok. Of course with enough riders as shared by others.

Anonymous said...

Hi all, Me and my friend are planning to drive down from Mumbai to Lingampalli taking chances one after the other. I have a valid license however my friend doesn't have a license thought he is a good driver. How safe is it to drive in this road in this situation and are there too many police checks on this road.. please suggest and help.

Harimohan said...

Mumbai to Lingampalli is almost 750 kms. Long drive. Mumbai-Pune is a good road, Pune to Solapur appears to be okay as they are laying and widening new roads. Its the Solapur to Hyderabad stretch that needs some care. Police checks normally a Solapur just before you hit the ring road and at Zaheerabad (rarely). License apart, your friend needs to be tuned a bit to highway driving because the roads in the Hyd-Solapur sector are double road with no dividers. Happy driving.

Anonymous said...

Appreciate your prompt reply, Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Planning a trip hyderabad to Pune on 10 Aug with family. The quality of Highway is it worth driving down or should I take the train. Pl advise at the earliest

Harimohan said...

Dear Anon,
Some of the posts you see are recent and that is the latest we know. But a friend of mine has journeyed from Mumbai to Hyderabad (and back) in his Ford Endeavour with his family a week ago and he was quite fine with the road condition. Some parts especially in the Hyderabad Solapur stretch seem poor and need some patience, but it appears that its not unmanageable. Hope this info helps. Have a good trip.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the prompt reply. Will give a feed back
regards

Amardeep Dabass said...

@Anonymous, what is your feedback. Planning to take it to drive to Pune from Hyd on 14th Aug.

Unknown said...

I am planning to drive from Hyderabad to Pune on 6th September 2014 . Any recent update on the road condition will help please.

Srikanth said...

Hi All,

Thanks to all for the suggestions. We have travelled from Pune to Hyd on 02nd Aug'14 by my Grand i10. We have started from Wakad at 5.30am and reached Hyd (JNTU) by 3.30pm on the same day! The road condition from Pune to Solapur is very good and can be maintained 100kph (still near 3 or 4 places flyovers construction work is going on).

As Mr.Harimohan said the Hyd-Solapur is not in great condition. After Solapur it is two way with lot of patches, potholes and heavy truckers.

Tips::
1.Road condition between Pune and Solapur is very good.
2.Take Solapur bypass near Solapur.
3.Try to cover max possible distance between Solapur and Pune (I covered with in 4hrs).
4.Road with lot of patches between Solpaur and Karnataka border.
5.Beware of Bikers after Solapur! They never give side and it is very difficult to overtake!
6.Lot of potholes and less patches in Karnataka (but almost free road).
7.Bad road between Humnabad and Zaheerabad.
8.Lot of traffic after Zaheerabad!

Observed road repair work is going in Karnataka (at least they are filling potholes)!

And I am going to take return journey from Hyd to Pune on 05th oct. Please let me know if any queries.

Thanks,
Srikanth.

Harimohan said...

Thanks for sharing Srikanth. It is very useful information.

krishna said...

Thank you folks. it really helps. I am planning to drive from Hyd to Pune during Oct 2nd wek. As ai m traveeling with family, please advise how safe is the trip considering that I will be travelling with my wife and two little kids...

Anonymous said...

Thank you all for posting, i was planning to travel with my family from Hyderabad to Pune and back by road in October 2014, but after reading the valuable posts, i have given up on the idea and will go by air.

Thanks
Sai

Nehru said...

Good info

Unknown said...

I am planning to from Hyderabad to Pune alone in car on 1st October evening and what do you guys suggest???

I am worried on the road, Pls suggest!!!!

SalonaMittal said...

Guys, i am planning to travel to pune on the 8th of october from hyd, as it will be the 1st time i'll be driving to pune so will you guys help me with the driving conditions through the highway or if possible we could make a group of ppl driving to pune arnd 8th oct nd we cud drive together respectively!

Harimohan said...

Dear Salona,
My friend's drove down last week from Pune to Hyd and back again and he found it quite comfortable save some patches of bad road in the Hyd-Solapur section. If you are travelling from Hyderabad to Pune start early (before or by 6) so you miss the early morning traffic up till Patancheru - can save you an hour. The journey is about 550 kms. You split that into 2 parts - Hyd to Solapur which is 300 kms (5 hours - 6 hours) and Solapur to Pune which is 250 kms (4 hours to 5 hours). Hyd to Solapur is a double road i.e. no dividers etc but wide enough but a decent enough drive. Some parts on this road could be slightly bumpy. Zaheerabad is about 100 kms from Hyd, Humnabad, Osmanabad, Omerga, Naldurg and then Solapur. Take the bypass as you enter Solapur and you will hit the new four laned road from Solapur to Pune. Traffic typically gets denser there but the roads are wide, 4 laned and easier. There is a decent food joint or two about 70 kms from Solapur. The entire journey could take anywhere between 9 to 12 hours depending on traffic. Have fun.

Debu said...

Update 5th October 2014(Pune-Hyderabad)

Thank you Harimohan and all for updating this loop. here is my data

1. I drove down from Pune to Hyderabad on 5th October 2014. Polo-Petrol
2. Start time: 6:40 AM from Kothrud, Pune End Time: reached Gachhibawli, Hyd at 4:00 PM.
3. 30 min brunch halt near Solapur (Hotel Nisarg, 10 km before Solapur city)
4. Tea halt at Zairabad- 10 mins
5. Roads are quite good till Solapur. After Solapur they are narrow without cement deciders. overtaking is stressful.

So Please avoid driving in the night. Avoid speeding. I would not advice if you are traveling with young children or old people. But it is not too bad road drive overall, if you have travelled long distance remote locations in India, driving your own car. I would not reccomnend car drive if you are visiting Hyd or Pune only for weekend.

Anonymous said...

Your comment is be very useful to us Harimohanji as we are planning to go to solapur on 11 th Oct from Hyderabad.

Unknown said...

Hi,

We're(My Wife and I) planning to do a trip in December end from Mumbai to hyderabad in i20 Diesel. We read in this blog and others that the conditions were pretty bad till last year. Want to know if someone has recently traveled on the road and if the conditions are better now.
Thanks for the help.

Param

Harimohan said...

Hi Param, Recent updates (say a month ago) - two people travelled - both sais the road's pretty decent. Maybe a couple of bad patches but overall nothing to worry about. Pune-Sholapur is done up I believe so the Hyd-Sholapur stretch is the one that you'll have to take a bit more cautiously. But reports suggest no great worries. Have a good journey.

ashwin said...

Road widening in main hyderabad will ease the traffic movement.

Rahul said...

Planning to do a Hyd-Pune-Hyd trip in Mid December . Planning to start at 04:00 AM ...is it OK ? As many of them said that Hyd - SHolapur is a bad stretch.Also hyd to zaheerabad - which route should be taken .i stay in Gachibowli.

Harimohan said...

Hey rahul,
4 is as good a time as any - it might compromise your rest that's all. Normally I start around 530 or so (at times even at 7) just when it starts to light up a bit by the time we hit the highway. The road is not something you need to worry about too much - recent reports are only about small stretches. You just have to take it slow in those parts. Otherwise its pretty comfortable.
Have a safe, enjoyable journey.

Anonymous said...

Planning to travel from Solapur to hyderabad on 26th December 2014. Anybody knows the current condition of highway ?

Atul Moghe said...

I am planning to drive to Pune from Hyderabad in last week of December 2014, any feed back from the recent experiences. Specially for road quality.

Sushil said...

This is the best and the most updated blog on HYD-PUN-HYD drive information. First, thanks for initiating this as it was of great help during my recent drive from HYD to PUNE.

Drive Date: December 20, 2014
Start Time (from Kukatpally, home in HYD): 4.45 am
Reach Time (Tilak Road, home in Pune): 2:45 pm
Total Travel Time: 10 hrs (door to door). Reached Pune city in 9 hrs but got stuck in city traffic for almost an hour.
# of stops: 3 (2 short for pictures and 1 long for breakfast)
Vehicle: XUV 5OO
Average speed: 90kmph

Road Condition: AP and KA roads are just about OK. There are several strecthes of cracked roads and due to a lot of 4 lane work in 'progress' (atleast that's what the several boards suggest), you have to take many diversions. Be careful as all diversions lead to oncoming traffic.

Roads get BAD once you enter Maharashtra. I say BAD because there are a couple of spots where the road has caved in and you cannot see them until you reach them and if you are driving a hatchback or a small sedan, it will damage your car. Please drive carefully and if possible slowly until you cross Solapur city.

Once you cross Solapur city - around 30 Kms ahead you'll find Vitthal Kamat Pure Veg Restaurant - its a nice place for having breakfast and freshining up.

Post Solapur city, the entire stretch until you reach Pune city is wonderful. Straight 4 laned roads. You will come across several toll booths but its worth paying to drive peacefully.

Hope this helps.

Drive Safely and Enjoy the Drive...Speed doesn't let you enjoy 2 things: The beautiful surroundings and the smile on your loved ones face.

Anonymous said...

Great to have found this blog. My husband and I with our dog are driving from Hyderabad to Pune on Jan 11th 2015.As soon as I get internet coverage I will update this blog on the road condition. Many thanks for all the helpful comments here.

Anonymous said...

We drove in our swift desire on Jan 11th 2015. As others have stated, hyderabad to sholapur road is bad and single lane. It has been patched up a few times and there are potholes and the whole car vibrates when driving on it. U can't do more than 40 to 60kms. Frustrating drive bUt it is motorable. Worst conditions are in Karnataka part. The four lane highway is still being built. One can see the foundations being laid. So by the end of 2014, still no proper highway. We drove on a sunday and while it was market day in a lot of the towns, i felt that the traffic was a little less. After sholapur the road is great, only a small detour where highway is being fixed but it's only for 5 to 7kms. The highway after sholapur till pune is awesome, well maintained, a joy to drive. We left hydbad by 6:30 am and already traffic was picking up, suggest leaving early or else lots of delays. Reached Pune by 4:45pm, stopped a few times for the dog and loo breaks, ate lunch in the car switching drivers.

Anonymous said...

Hello Friends

I did 2 trips in my Volvo S60 - March 2015

First 9th March 2015 from Hyderabad to Pune

Second on 13th March 2015 - Pune to Hyderabad and Hyderabad to Pune.

Pune to Sholapur, excellent roads.

Sholapur to Hyderabad are the real culprits. Extremely bad roads with many potholes, uneven patches/re-carpeting.

Average 30kms speed if you are lucky i.e., time of the drive and the traffic.

I am doing another one this weekend i.e., 20th March 2015. Promised my family that i will be home for festival and its too late for bus or flight booking.

If i had time would avoid travel my own car :-)

Can't belive that NHs are so not maintained. I feel for the truck drivers, considering the vehicles they drive, number of kms and bad roads. No wonder they need a/two pegs to keep them calm.

Have safe/pleasant Journey

VS said...

Thanks to all for keeping this useful thread updated.

I am planning a family trip to Pune from Hyderabad by Swift next week. After reading all the comments, am bit worried about Hyderabad to Solapur road condition.

Is it good enough to drive or should I consider alternate route of Hyderabad-Pargi-Sedam-Kalaburagi-Solapur ?

TIA for your help.

-VS

Unknown said...

Hi,

We drove in our Grand i10 on March 24th 2015 from Pune to Hyderabad. Pune to Sholapur, excellent roads.

As others have stated Sholapur to Hyderabad are the real culprits. Extremely bad roads with many potholes, uneven patches and most of the road is under expansion. I would say please avoid Hyderabad Sholapur NH if you are traveling by hatchback. Village roads and State highways conditions is far better than this NH!

Srikanth.

Naseeb said...

I drove from Hyderabad to Sholapur (i took Hyderabad-Zaheerabad-Basavakalyan-Sholapur route)my worst nightmare it was. It took me 8Hrs to reach sholapur.

On my way back to Hyd ( i took Gulbarga-Sedam-Chevella-Hyd route) and it had better road condition.almost 180km was toll road.. my car reached its top speed. Thought there were few potholes, few km was bad road, single lane road to slow me down.. i ended up driving 47Km more.. but it was certianly better road than the one i took to reach Sholapur.

Unknown said...

Akkalkot to Ã…land has been made?

Unknown said...

Akkalkot to Ã…land road has been tarred)

Anonymous said...

Hi Everyone,
I am planning to hit the road from Hyd to Pune in the month of May 1st week. Can anyone please suggest the route to take and can provide an update on the road conditions if one has travelled recently.

Thanks very much

Dr Ashu said...

Hi Everyone, kudos on such an elaborate and updated blog. I intend to drive from Bhuj to Secunderabad (on posting) via Baroda and Mumbai in my Honda City by the end of April. The earlier as well as recent comments in this thread leave me confused as well as worried about Sholapur -Secunderabad stretch.. it has been described from OK with few bad patches to a total nightmare...!!!
Please update and advice as this is giving me second thoughts...
Thank you all

Komal said...

Hello guys,

The comments here have been quite varying - even for the recent times, they have been described from pretty okay to nightmare. I am planning to drive down to Pune from Hyderabad in the last of April. Is Hyderabad-Solapur route advisable? Or should I take an alternate route? I will be taking a hatchback.

Regards,
Komal

Srikanth said...

Hi Komal,

Red flag to Hyd-Solapur road!

Others,
I am going to travel back to Pune from Hyderabad on 04th May’14. I know that NH9 condition is very bad between HYD and Solapur. Now I am thinking which route to take! Any suggestions?

I know that alternative route is Hyderabad-Chevella-Pargi-Sedam-Gulabrga-Solapur, Any idea about this route condition, safety and etc..?

Thanks,
Srikanth.

Srikanth said...

I drove from Hyderabad to Sholapur (I took Hyderabad-Chevella-Sedam-Gulbarga-Akkalkot-Sholapur-Pune route) on 06th May’15. Almost road condition is good, especially Karnataka SH10 is very good.

But my worst nightmare was Aland to Akkalkot, there is no road for 25km!( Seriously I don’t have other words to use, Big Big stones, mud, gravel and hell. Our field’s roads are far better than this SH!). It took 2hr for me to drive 25km. Maharashtra R&B should feel ashamed after seeing KA SH10!

I would say don’t dare to take Aland to Akkalkot road.

Anonymous said...

I have made a road trip from Hyderabad to Pune and back to Hyderabad within 25 days in May 2015 in my Honda Brio. The road between Hyderabad and Solapur (NH 9) is just average and not offer a smooth drive. The Solapur pune stretch is Express Highway and can easily attain 120 kmph. The Hyderabad Solapur road is filled with potholes (Not large), however I got 80 kmph whenever traffic found easy. Truck traffic is very high in this route and be very alert while overtaking especially in the Hyderabad Solapur stretch being single road. Another thing to be very cautious is the rash & ignorant two wheelers in this very road. I took 11 hours (including 1 hour break) to cover this distance. Try avoid driving between 1800 hrs & 2200 hrs between Hyderabad Solapur road as the high beam of opposite vehicles will make a big challenge to eyes and may be blind of the two where just in front. There is no mud or gravel road anywhere in this route. I have got 18.6 kmpl in my 550 km journey. Thanks

Akshay Bhatia said...

Hi

I'm planning to travel from Pune to Hyderabad on 12th August, 2015.
Any updates for the NH 9 from Solapur to Hyderabad.
Should I consider driving on the alternate route (Gulbarga-Sedam-Chevella-Hyd)?
Traveling alone in a Santro.
Would be returning on the same route on 16th August.

Thanks,

Akshay

Anonymous said...

Hi
We are planning to drive down to Mumbai by Chevalla Parvin Saddam and Gulbarga to reach Sholapur and than take on to Pune
How is the road planning to travel on 9th sept 2015

Azharuddin M Khadri said...

Hello Guys,

Few of my friends (4 of us) planning to do Pune-Hyderabad on the 27th of November 2015 in my Hyundai eon/ borrowing a diesel sedan or a SUV from a friend of mine.
planning to leave at 5.30am from pune.
How is the route from Pune to solapur now? & the stretch from Solapur to Hyderabad is still bad?
What are the precautions to be taken? How much is toll tax on this route?

TIA,
Azharuddin Khadri

Azharuddin M Khadri said...

Hello Guys,

I am planning to drive from Pune to Hyderabad on 27th November with 3 of my friends. we are thinking of leaving at 5.30am from Pune.


How is the road condition now from Pune to Solapur? (planned to cover in 4-5 hours)suggest any good place for late breakfast or early lunch.. Brunch..
or I am planning to carry some sandwiches myself.

The long thread says poor road condition about Solapur- Hyderabad...Is it still bad? How long it should take ?

How much is toll tax?

Looking to halt in few places, may be a restaurant have to have lunch & also has a clean toilets..(2 ladies would be joining us).

What are the other precautions should we consider?
then leaving from Hyderabad on 29th night or 30th early morning..

Kindly help..

TIA..

Unknown said...

Hi Guys,

Thanks Hari for starting such a useful helping blog. It's really nice to see people keep on updating this thread for last 2 years. I am planning to drive my Alto K10 along with my family on 8 November. Can someone update the latest condition of the Solapur - Hyderabad road? Is it worth taking Solapur Akkalkot- Gulbarga- Chevella road? Thanks in advance for your inputs.

Regads,
Rajith

Anonymous said...

Hi guys,

A friend of a friend traveled with his 8 month old baby and wife from Hyd to Mumbai towards end of October. The road from Hyd to Solapur still seems to be the concern. He recommended to cover the distance from Hyd to Solapur during daylight (pot-holes, single lanes and heavy commercial vehicle traffic). Solapur to Mumbai was a smooth ride.

I too am planning a road trip during 24-29 December (Duster). Please keep this post updated, and share your experiences.

Great blog Harimohan.

Regards,
Mohan

kumar said...

Hello guys,
Planning to travel from Anand (Gujarat) to Hyderabad with a stop at Pune or Solapur on 11th November(Diwali).From this blog, i came toknow that road condition between Solapur and Hyderabad is bad.
Can anybody suggest State Highway route?

Regards,

Kumar Trivedi

Unknown said...

Hi guys
Iam planning to hyd to solapur in my swift
What is the toll fare at zaheerabad to Karnataka
Pls post
Regards
Santosh

Anonymous said...

I am planning to drive Mumbai-Hyedarbad on 25th. Is the Solapur-Hyderabad road is still bad ? What is the alternative route I should take if I want to avoid single lane road ? (without divider)

Anonymous said...

Hi Everyone,

Has anyone made the trip recently? I am planning a road trip from Pune to Hyderabad in April and would really appreciate any inputs on the condition of the road.

Thanks!
Ashish

Zoheb said...

Hello Everyone,

Date of Journey: 8 Jan 2016.
Route: NH9 Mumbai - Pune - Solapur - Homnabad - zaheerabad - Hyderabad.
Time taken: Approx 14 Hours. Left Mumbai at 0500 hrs Reached the JNTU ORR at 1900 hrs.
Driving style: Speeding at ~ 130 kph on straight stretches. On bad roads, I did ~ 50 kph.

I was following this blog before I undertook the Journey and it had helped me put a lot of things into perspective in terms of what-to-expect on this route. My major concerns were the quality of roads and the traffic scenario in and out of major towns. I hope by sharing my experience I'm giving back some of it to this blog on some level.

A. Mumbai to Pune via expressway - I believe it's needless for me to say that this is the most brilliant part of the journey. You'll be cruising at speeds of 120 kph. Smooth concrete road laid out of approx 200 km's. I covered this distance in under 3 hours.

B. Pune to Solapur - Again, smooth roads, 4 lane highway. You can easily manage to cruise at around 80 kph and on empty stretches hit triple digits. The only problem with driving mannerisms in our country is a very small percentage of us follow lane discipline and lane changing protocol. This makes driving at high speeds difficult because you never know who will serve into your lane suddenly.
Anyway, so I took my first pit stop just outside Pune at Vithal Kamat. Clean and delicious food. I was super elated by now having cruised so far on my journey with no major traffic jams and smooth roads.

C. Solapur to Hyderabad - This road made me curse my very decision to drive down to Hyderabad. Right after you exit Solapur, you take a left and the road is non-existent after that. You'll wonder where the 4 lane highway disappeared suddenly. The road is narrow and passes through a village. After this, it's just a long tiring stretch of bad roads coupled with truck and bike traffic. The road is just two lanes with no median / divider. The bus / truck drivers driving in the other direction literally drive head on into your lane while over taking. I've had to slow down to 10 kph or even pull my car to the left on the gravel to allow them to pass. A sign of hope was to see that a four-lane road is being constructed. So for certain patches you drive on a smooth tarmac stretch and then you come back on the bad road. Hope the road gets constructed soon. The worst stretch is the 100 odd kms just before Hyderabad. Imagine a two-lane highway, no median and everyone driving on high beam. I had to put on my sunglasses to fight the painful headlights. You cannot see the road and are purely driving on your judgement. Moreover, you cannot stop for a break because there's only gravel, road construction, or jungle on your side. I was counting every km of this stretch.

D. The JNTU ORR in Hyderabad - Pure bliss for motoring enthusiasts. I was doing a 150 kph easily. This road took some of the stress off. However, I was hungry and tired and wanted to reach my hotel badly so couldn't enjoy it much. Will plan a trip soon.

Hope the four-lane construction between Solapur and Hyderabad gets completed soon. Please post any updates if you have on the progress.


P.S. I'm overly in love with my car and hate to drive it on bad roads. So I slow down considerably on bad stretches.

saikathot said...

2017... and still the roads are pathetic.
Telengana has almost finished their job.
Karnataka is still sitting duck..
And there are no other roads as well