Why Is No One Able to Fix the $21 Billion Kansai Airport?

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 14/06/2024 at 12:32

O aeroporto de Kansai, construído em duas ilhas artificiais que estão afundando, enfrenta desafios enormes que ninguém consegue resolver. Entenda por que esse aeroporto inovador está nessa situação. Imagem: Pedreiro na Construção/Divulgação

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The Kansai Airport, Built on Two Artificial Islands That Are Sinking, Faces Enormous Challenges That Nobody Can Solve. Understand Why This Innovative Airport Is in This Situation.

The Kansai Airport, located in Osaka Bay, Japan, is one of the most impressive in the world. Built on two artificial islands, it was designed to address space and noise pollution issues. However, since its opening in 1994, the airport has faced a serious problem: it is sinking.

The construction of Kansai Airport was a remarkable engineering feat, costing around US$ 15 billion initially, with an additional US$ 6 billion spent on measures to curb sinking and protect the airport from sea waves. Nevertheless, since its completion, the airport has been sinking at an alarming rate.

The Decision to Build the Airport on Artificial Islands Arose in the 1960s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w11z_c2SkcU&t=26s&ab_channel=PedreironaConstru%C3%A7%C3%A3o

When the Osaka region was expanding and needed a new airport. The chosen site for the airport faced challenges such as earthquakes and typhoons, common in Japan. To deal with the soft sea bed, which contained 70% water, engineers dried the clay to create a solid base. 2.2 million vertical pipes filled with sand and a huge sea barrier made of rocks and tetrapods were used to protect the airport.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Despite the Sinking Issue, Kansai Airport Showed Resilience

In 1995, it withstood the Great Hanshin Earthquake and, in 1998, survived a typhoon with winds exceeding 60 meters per second. However, in 2018, Typhoon Jebi caused significant damage, flooding runways and forcing operations to be suspended. The airport partially resumed activities a few days later.

The solution to the sinking problem has not yet been found. Engineers have been adjusting columns and increasing the height of sea walls regularly, but this is only a temporary measure. It is expected that the soil beneath the airport will eventually compact completely, stabilizing the situation. Until then, Kansai Airport will continue to battle against time and the forces of nature.

Kansai Airport is an impressive example of engineering and innovation, but also a lesson about the unforeseen challenges that large infrastructure projects can face.

11 Comments

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Luis carlos cardozo dos santos

#13670

17/06/2024 03:17

Fico muito triste pelo Japão, ter tantos problemas naturais , e pesso a Deus que cuide do povo japonês acalmando a fúria da mãe terra !

Respond

Oli Prestes

#13676

Reply to Luis carlos cardozo dos santos

17/06/2024 04:26

Não adianta pedir a Deus. Jesus disse que não rogava pelo mundo, então não devemos rogar também, pq o mundo jaz no maligno.

Respond

José

#13528

16/06/2024 15:07

Natureza não, não a desafie

Respond

gil gomes

#13377

15/06/2024 23:05

Chame os chineses.
Ou o nosso jeitinho brasileiro.
Pode escolher.
Os chineses são mais rápido.
Os brasileiros são mais baratos e criativos

Respond

Why Is No One Able to Fix the $21 Billion Kansai Airport?

The Kansai Airport, Built on Two Artificial Islands That Are Sinking, Faces Enormous Challenges That Nobody Can Solve. Understand Why This Innovative Airport Is in This Situation.

The Decision to Build the Airport on Artificial Islands Arose in the 1960s

Despite the Sinking Issue, Kansai Airport Showed Resilience

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Why Is No One Able to Fix the $21 Billion Kansai Airport?

The Kansai Airport, Built on Two Artificial Islands That Are Sinking, Faces Enormous Challenges That Nobody Can Solve. Understand Why This Innovative Airport Is in This Situation.

The Decision to Build the Airport on Artificial Islands Arose in the 1960s

Despite the Sinking Issue, Kansai Airport Showed Resilience

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

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