Purple Line Tunnel Barrier Expanded After New Cracks Found
Bangkok's Purple Line BTS tunnel continues to experience ground subsidence and water infiltration, prompting authorities to expand the containment barrier after new cracks were detected beyond their original position.
On July 10, Engineering Society of Thailand consultant Thanes Verasiri provided updates on the water infiltration issue affecting the Purple Line BTS tunnel excavation. Ground subsidence is showing encouraging improvement, with yesterdays settlement of approximately 20 centimeters contrasting sharply with the latest 24-hour period, which saw only 8 centimeters of additional subsidence. This represents a significant deceleration from the previous continuous rate of 1-2 centimeters per hour, which has now shifted to intermittent collapses depending on site conditions. This evening, authorities expanded the containment perimeter an additional 3 meters after observing that existing cracks had propagated beyond their original position, though they remain within the original 30-meter safety zone. Officials are proceeding at full capacity with repair efforts. While incoming rainfall poses minimal operational impact beyond slight work difficulty, groundwater inflow from below presents the more serious challenge. Authorities maintain constant situational awareness, and no new complications have emerged.
