Cracks Appear In The Runway At New Airport?

SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT / CONSTRUCTION CONTROVERSY

Govt sends in US experts to probe runway crack reports

POST REPORTERS

The government is quietly investigating reports that cracks have appeared on the runways of the yet-to-be-completed Suvarnabhumi airport while transport authorities yesterday denied there were any problems and insisted the runways were 100% up to standard.

An aviation source said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had privately brought in a team of independent aviation experts from the United States to inspect the airport and they reportedly found cracks. Although it was argued these were normal during the construction process, the source said the US team would recommend to the prime minister the two runways in place so far be rebuilt because the construction was sub-standard and likely to be internationally unacceptable.

The source said a team of American experts arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday to examine runways one and two at the new airport. They were brought in because the prime minister wanted the opinions of independent experts. The team, comprising experts from international aviation organisations, inspected the runways at the site in Samut Prakan province yesterday and reached an initial conclusion that clearly-visible cracks at the ''touchdown'' points of both runways, the sections where aircraft landing gear will touch the tarmac, reflect sub-standard construction and need rebuilding.

At this stage, the experts have not pinpointed the cause of the cracks but said that brand-new runways should not have any cracks. According to the team's judgement, no problems would be likely during a planned demonstration flight by the prime minister on Sept 29, the original and already-postponed opening date for the new Bangkok airport, which was built on top of a former swamp.

The cracks on both runways which have been completed and handed over to state-run New Bangkok International Airport Co (NBIA) may not pose a problem for aircraft but they would be unacceptable to international parties, the source said.

The source insisted cracks existed but were in different locations to where Deputy Transport Minister Chainant Charoensiri took reporters on Thursday. Gen Chainant said yesterday he did not find any cracks on the runways during his inspection and the chance of such a problem arising was negligible because both runways were up to 1.4 metres thick.

The report was likely to be a misunderstanding resulting from the sight of lines of adjoining runway surface blocks, he said. Somchai Sawasdeepon, acting NBIA president, said the reported cracks existed only on the western runway or runway no.1 and were 50cm deep but they had been made intentionally in line with a construction technique to prepare for construction of an adjacent third runway which would be connected to the western runway in the future.

NBIA had yet to officially accept the runways because the connection between the runways and taxiways had yet to be completed. The runways were 100% up to standard, he said.

bangkokpost.com

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is this the old watered down substandard cement they used ??