At first read of the headline I was wondering why they would  fix the  "complaints"  and  not the runway !

On 1/10/2020 at 12:29 PM, DrTuner said:

Why not. U-Tapao has been there.. since the 60's? I remember it being mentioned it was built for heavy bombers. You'd think it would have been resurfaced at least once since. Of course, it hasn't been built on a swamp.

U-Tapao runway is concrete, swampy is blacktop, concrete doesn't have the same problems, as the article says.

4 hours ago, saengd said:

U-Tapao runway is concrete, swampy is blacktop, concrete doesn't have the same problems, as the article says.

Ok well I do know why swampy isn't concrete. Everybody who's driven on the disaster zone that is Highway 7 near there knows. Scared <deleted>less one day the slabs the road is made of will flip up and cut the car like a cheese grater.

5 hours ago, overherebc said:

Before any real construction started boreholes were drilled and a vertical pipe system was put in place. Special sheeting laid on top and many thousands of tons of gravel dumped on top the weight of it squeezing the vast majority of the water out through the pipes and filter systems inside the pipes. It left under the surface dry and compact enough for construction on top.

Remember in the early 90's they were doing similar on the Bangna trat rd from the Don Muang airport all way out east.

 

The road is still sinking and needs constant maintenance repairs, buildup and overlays every few years.

 

 

Edited January 12, 20206 yr by userabcd

10 minutes ago, userabcd said:

Remember in the early 90's they were doing similar on the Bangna trat rd from the Don Muang airport all way out east.

 

The road is still sinking and needs constant maintenance repairs, buildup and overlays every few years.

All of BKK is sinking.  It slowed a bit when they stopped a lot of the pumping out of ground water all over the city.

On the road past DMK the pillars for the upper tollway are set on concrete rafts that are on pile supports. As the area sinks the rafts and supports stay at the same level. Used to drive in daily and the right hand side of the car was up and down like a dogs hind leg.

Quite a few times in my memory I can remember them chopping concrete of the rafts and re-laying the road to get the surface back to level over the right hand lane. ????????

Edited January 12, 20206 yr by overherebc

4 hours ago, saengd said:

U-Tapao runway is concrete, swampy is blacktop, concrete doesn't have the same problems, as the article says.

A concrete pavement will actually have worse problems if the sub-grade below isn't up to the job, especially if it is done in a series of smaller slabs i.e. a JRCP pavement design?  Just google 'pavement pumping in concrete pavements' and all will be revealed?  DrTuner's reference of Highway 7 is typical evidence of this.  They could replace it with a CRCP concrete pavement design but this would entail closing each of the runways in turn for at least a month each in order to allow the complete ripping up of the old, remedials to the sub-grade, construction of the new CRCP pavement and sufficient time for the concrete to suitably cure before loading it with any aircraft?  Mind you, this is Thailand??? There's nothing wrong with asphalt providing the sub-grade and pavement design is up to spec for the conditions.  London Heathrow is asphalt and in my time I've also overseen the resurfacing of 2 MOD airfields back in the UK with asphalt.  Done a bit on the taxiways and aprons too at London Gatwick but they are concrete.