SUVARNABHUMI CRACKED RUNWAYS, TAXIWAYS

AoT, builder may dig holes to drain water as a temporary fix

AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) and IOT Joint Venture, its contractor that built the taxiways and runways at Suvarnabhumi airport, are looking for an immediate and effective way to contain cracked tarmac while a permanent solution will be considered at a later stage. AoT specialist Surachit Surapolchai took the press to a site where staff of IOT were conducting an experiment on a method to drain water out of a taxiway yesterday. The test was conducted at the T11 taxiway situated between concourses D and E.

A pit was dug one metre wide and two metres deep. It was laid with permeable fabrics and then filled with gravel.

The pit was connected to a nearby ditch with sloping drains. It will take a few days to see if the method is effective in draining water.

A number of taxiways and runways of the five-month-old airport are plagued with cracks. Most of the damage on the taxiways is over a combined area of some 78,000 square metres. They would need at least 46 such pits for this drainage method, Mr Surachit said.

If the method is effective, IOT will use it and repair the tarmac. The work would cost 300 million baht and IOT would pay for it because the warranty for the taxiways and runways expires in August, he said.

In the meantime, AoT will hire a consultancy firm to find the exact cause and a permanent solution for the damaged tarmac. The company expects to conclude the terms for the consultancy selection before the end of next month.

When the cause of the tarmac damage is established, AoT will know who will be held responsible and pay compensation, Mr Surachit said.

An AoT source said in the long run the sides of the runways and taxiways must be sealed with cement or asphalt to prevent water from seeping into their sand foundations from adjacent fields.

Also, the ditch network next to runways and taxiways must be drained well to prevent excessive underground water that is, for the time being, believed to have softened the runway and taxiway asphalt.

Bangkok Post

Saturday March 17, 2007