Road inspections ahead | Bangkok Post: learning

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The large hole that appeared in Rama IV road on Sunday night is not all that unusual, city officials say – there have been 20 collapses in recent years – and several major Bangkok roads will now undergo inspections

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Rama III road which runs next to a waterway is one of several major Bangkok roads undergoing ultrasound checks for subsidence.

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Rama IV hole prompts investigation

There is a lot underneath the 5x3x2m hole that resulted from the collapse of part of Rama IV Road on Sunday night.

There is a 1.2m diameter tapwater mains 2 m underground, a drainage tunnel 3.5m in diameter and 10m below ground, and the MRTA's subway tunnel that lies 20m beneath the surface. 

Preliminary investigations have revealed no problems with the tapwater mains or the subway tunnel and suspicions now centre on the four-decade old drainage tunnel.

Deputy city clerk Jumpol Sampaopol said the road collapse resulted from the disappearance of 40-50 cubic metres of sand that formed the foundation of the concrete road.

Mr Jumpol said a possible cause might be a leak from the drainage tunnel, which the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority had built in 1972.

The Rama IV collapse has prompted the city to carry out a wide-ranging inspection of older roads and those near waterways or those built above old drainage tunnels.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Teerachon Manomaiphibul said ultrasound would be used for the road checks.

He asked the public to report any suspicious cracks and road surface subsidence to the BMA because they may be signs of future cave-ins.

He said more than 20 locations on Rama III and Chong Nonsi roads had collapsed in 2009 and 2010 as sand under the roads flowed out through the small holes in nearby concrete embankments.

As for the hole on Rama IV, it's gone.  The BMA has filled it in with a mixture of asphalt and gravel and the damaged section was reopened to traffic at 3am yesterday.

The repair is temporary pending close supervision for possible further subsidence and the conclusion of the exact cause of the Sunday cave-in.

Adapted from a story in today's Bangkok Post by Supoj Wancharoen and Amornrat Mahitthirook.

ultrasound – sound that is higher than humans can hear; a process that produces an image of what is inside something คลื่นเหนือเสียง, คลื่นเสียงที่มีความถี่มากกว่า 20,000 เฮิรตซ์
subsidence – the process by which an area of land sinks to a lower level than normal, or by which a building sinks into the ground การทรุดตัวลง
prompt – to cause someone to take action กระตุ้น
investigation – the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
underneath – under or below something else, especially when it is hidden or covered by the thing on top ภายใต้,  ข้างใต้
collapse – falling down suddenly การพังลงมา  
diameter – the length of a straight line that crosses a circle through the centre เส้นผ่านศูนย์กลาง
tap water – water that is sent through pipes into building น้ำประปา
main; mains – a large pipe that carries water or gas to a building; a large cable that carries electricity to a building;, the system of providing gas, water and electricity to  buildings or of carrying it away from buildings สายหลัก (ท่อหรือสายเคเบิลใหญ่)
drainage – the process of taking away of water or other liquids from an area  การระบายน้ำ
tunnel – an underground passage อุโมงค์
surface – the outside or top layer of something  ผิวหน้า, ผิวภายนอก, ด้านนอก
preliminary – early; not final ขั้นต้น, ขั้นแรก, เบื้องต้น, ชั้นต้น
reveal – to show; to let something become known  เผยให้เห็น
suspicion – a feeling that something bad is probably true or likely to happen ความสงสัย
decade – a period of ten years  ทศวรรษ
deputy – a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง
city clerk – a city official who keeps local records and gives out licences ปลัดเทศบาล
disappearence –no longer existing; no longer in use การหายไป, การสาบสูญ, การสูญหาย
foundation – the part of a structure of a building that is below the ground and supports the rest of it รากฐาน
leak – (of a liquid or gas) flowing out of a hole or crack การรั่วไหล
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) – the local government of Bangkok กรุงเทพมหานคร
inspection – the act of looking closely at something or someone and to check that everything is as it should be; examination การตรวจสอบอย่างละเอียด
suspicious – making you believe that something is wrong, dangerous or illegal น่าสงสัย
crack – a line on a surface where something is beginning to break apart รอยแตก  รอยร้าว
sign – an event, an action, a fact, etc. that shows that something exists, is happening or may happen in the future  สัญญาณ
cave-in – suddenly collapsing การพังทลายลง (ในใต้พื้นที่เป็นโพรง)
flow – (of a liquid) to move continuously in one direction ไหล
embankment – a slope made of earth or stone that rises up from either side of a road, railway/railroad, river, etc. มูลดิน,ตลิ่งทาง
mixture – a combination of different things  การผสม
asphalt – a thick black sticky substance used especially for making the surface of roads แอสฟัลต์, สารชนิดหนึ่งมีสีน้ำตาลหรือดำเหมือนดินน้ำมัน
gravel – small pieces of stone used for making paths and roads ก้อนกรวด, กรวด
section – any of the parts into which something is divided ส่วน, ส่วนที่ตัดออก, ส่วนย่อย
repair – the process of fixing something that is broken or damaged การซ่อมบำรุง
temporary – existing, done or used for only a limited period of time ชั่วคราว
pending – waiting to be dealt with, settled or completed ยังค้างอยู่, ซึ่งยังไม่จบสิ้น, อยู่ในระหว่าง
supervision – the process of making sure that something is being done properly  การควบคุมดูแล การตรวจตรา
conclusion – something that you decide is true after consider all the evidence and thinking about it carefully การสรุป,บทสรุป

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