Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai Airport, located in Chiang Rai, Thailand, is a vital transportation hub for the region. Serving as a gateway to popular tourist destinations like Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and the Golden Triangle, the airport has recently undergone a significant renovation and expansion project aimed at modernizing its facilities and increasing its capacity. As part of this project, Dextra supplied over 180 tons of dowel bars for use as construction joints in the airport’s runway pavement.

The construction of a runway pavement requires careful planning and preparation. One essential component of the runway pavement is the construction joint, which connects individual concrete slabs. These joints are necessary to ensure that the pavement can withstand the heavy loads of aircraft and endure extreme weather conditions. Without proper construction joints, the pavement may experience cracking, spalling, and other types of damage.

Dowel bars are a critical component of construction joints, as they facilitate load transfer between individual concrete slabs. Typically made of steel, dowel bars are placed perpendicular to the construction joint, allowing for movement between the concrete slabs while providing support and enabling efficient load transfer.

For the Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai Airport project, Dextra supplied over 35,000 dowel bars, totaling more than 180 tons of steel. The dowel bars were manufactured at Dextra’s facility in Thailand and delivered to the construction site in stages to meet the project’s timeline.

The successful completion of this project has not only increased the airport’s capacity but also improved its safety and reliability, providing a more efficient transportation hub for the region.