Work to bring overhead ugly cables underground starts

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Effort to beautify the capital is now progressing with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) beginning dredging tunnels to remove it's overhead power cables underground.

 

MEA will first bring overhead power cables on both sides of the Rajavithi road from Soi 15 to the Victory Monument underground, covering a distance of two kilometres.

 

BMA is also knocking down all power poles from Yaek Tuek Chai to the monument to pave the way for burying the cables in the tunnels.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/work-bring-overhead-ugly-cables-underground-starts/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-09-05

Go on I will be the first to comment. Great news. Long overdue in my opinion. I hope that this will stop the TV and internet going off when it rains. next I do hope that the whole of Bangkok is completed and not just one road before I die. I do expect to live another 50 years so I am being optimistic.

I wonder if this is being done according to any Thai or other engineering principles, standards or laws?

 

And especially any safety principles, standards, laws?

 

I wonder if there is an appropriately knowledgeable, experienced and certified engineer on hand whilst the work is being done and required to sign some type of inspection and certification on completion of each section etc?

 

I recall 10 years ago a new village under construction in Jomtien put everything underground but it was all under the appropriate laws and regulations and minute by minute scrutiny of engineers from the electricity authority.

Very good news indeed but hopefully they build it with some flood protection in mind and at least lay those yellow pipes inside in a sealed concrete tunnel properly. Imagine the accidental cutoffs also if there are any roadworks.

Dig hole, throw in the cable, cover with dirt, tarmac over. How hard can it be ?  Thais have been digging holes and planting things for hundreds of years 

What could possibly go wrong ?

When everything gets wet you better be wearing  a pair of rubber boots

 

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

I wonder if this is being done according to any Thai or other engineering principles, standards or laws?

 

And especially any safety principles, standards, laws?

 

I wonder if there is an appropriately knowledgeable, experienced and certified engineer on hand whilst the work is being done and required to sign some type of inspection and certification on completion of each section etc?

 

I recall 10 years ago a new village under construction in Jomtien put everything underground but it was all under the appropriate laws and regulations and minute by minute scrutiny of engineers from the electricity authority.

 

I add, all properly / exactly documented, including types / ratings whatever of cables used (and today easy to add photos) and with easy access to these documents etc., by all utility agencies, etc.

 

And with laws / regulations which require all utility agencies to check for underground pipes / wires etc., before any work undertaken.

Soi 15 is about 500 metres from Victory Monument not 2km.

Better to leave them as they are. Far easier to maintain without constantly digging up the road as in other cities and less susceptible to flooding.

 

If they want to beautify the city start with cleaning up all the graffiti.

3 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Go on I will be the first to comment. Great news. Long overdue in my opinion. I hope that this will stop the TV and internet going off when it rains. next I do hope that the whole of Bangkok is completed and not just one road before I die. I do expect to live another 50 years so I am being optimistic.

surprising there is no projection about the completion date.

7 minutes ago, andyww said:

Better to leave them as they are. Far easier to maintain without constantly digging up the road as in other cities and less susceptible to flooding.

 

If they want to beautify the city start with cleaning up all the graffiti.

longer term solution will be to bring the cables underground.

It would behoove the government to enforce any new housing communities to install cables underground or they will defeat their efforts which I already assume will happen.

2 hours ago, Pdaz said:

Dig hole, throw in the cable, cover with dirt, tarmac over. How hard can it be ?  Thais have been digging holes and planting things for hundreds of years 

What could possibly go wrong ?

wish it was this simple. do not forget that along the there will be water pipes, traffic signalling equipment, gas pipes amongst other. to co=ordinate all these will be a mammoth task, trust me.

3 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Go on I will be the first to comment. Great news. Long overdue in my opinion. I hope that this will stop the TV and internet going off when it rains. next I do hope that the whole of Bangkok is completed and not just one road before I die. I do expect to live another 50 years so I am being optimistic.

" I hope that this will stop the TV and internet going off when it rains."

No. Because the yellow tubes are not glued together and therefore not waterproof.

6 minutes ago, sahibji said:

wish it was this simple. do not forget that along the there will be water pipes, traffic signalling equipment, gas pipes amongst other. to co=ordinate all these will be a mammoth task, trust me.

 

Yup, unless of course they choose the easy peazy way to cut and bury, while the rest of Bangkok is wondering, why they have rapid electricity outages.....

2 hours ago, Pdaz said:

Dig hole, throw in the cable, cover with dirt, tarmac over. How hard can it be ?  Thais have been digging holes and planting things for hundreds of years 

What could possibly go wrong ?

this is sooooooo funny that I had to sign in to give it a "like"

indeed, what could possibly go wrong. hope the workers are wearing their safety flip flops

While I "hope" for the best, I can't help thinking that this project will turn out very wrong and create a nightmare of incompetence.

2 hours ago, Pdaz said:

Dig hole, throw in the cable, cover with dirt, tarmac over. How hard can it be ?  Thais have been digging holes and planting things for hundreds of years 

What could possibly go wrong ?

 Everything.

 

long overdue now Spiderman can come and visit Bangkok  

This is a disaster in the making.  Think it's bad now..., internet outages, power cuts, TOT trucks blocking sidewalks & road? My feeble mind can't dig up (ha, dig up, get it?!) the mental fortitude to understand the impact of such an undertaking here.   

 

"Hello TOT, when will I get my internet back?"  "Oh, so sorry..., next month."

 

The old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." could easily be supplanted with "We're going to hide what breaks all the time so you can't point it out to us when it breaks again".      

bla bla, project has been started, again. will not be finished this time either. how long till it is announced that it has been started next time?

2 hours ago, ourmanflint said:

Soi 15 is about 500 metres from Victory Monument not 2km.

Well then ...

left side of the road 500m hanging wires gone / 500m new underground cables = 2x500 = 1,000m

right side of the road 500m hanging wires gone / 500m new underground cables = 2x500 = 1,000m

1,000m + 1,000m = 2km ...

If split up electricity, phone and internet cable it would actually be 6km but that's another story.

Outstanding. Hopefully the next time Bill Gates is in town he'll report on the sidewalks.

And now on to Pattaya

Good old Bill. A couple of billion here. A couple of billion there and pretty soon you're talking serious persuasion. (sigh) We mere paupers.......

Looks like they are just digging a hole and dumping the cables there, like a panic reaction without planning. You need planning and preparation, design to make a proper underground cable distribution system. different layers with different designations. concrete trenches, and drainage culverts underneath. 

Yippee ... lets track the progress, results, and lack of corruption .... fingers and all other body parts crossed .... ouch.

Considering how large the Bangkok city area is and the amount of both live and dead cables and electric wires there are there has to be at least ten years of work ahead for normal crews. Thinking about how the Thai contractors are in adapt in proper work ethics this should take about twenty years but I would bet a dollar to a donuts that the government will after starting the project with the media recording how well they are doing at the start will quietly drop the expensive project to just a few crews in six months.Your grandchildren may see it finished.

13 minutes ago, AlQaholic said:

Looks like they are just digging a hole and dumping the cables there, like a panic reaction without planning. You need planning and preparation, design to make a proper underground cable distribution system. different layers with different designations. concrete trenches, and drainage culverts underneath. 

Or the Thai way and get a monk to bless it

When they have finished with Bangkok could they please come to Chiang Mai?