Depressions around manholes are a persistent and technically challenging problem across all built infrastructure — from highways and ports to airports and urban streets.
The design challenge is universal: manholes are made of rigid concrete, while the surrounding pavement is flexible. Achieving perfect compaction against a stiff structure is practically impossible. If the manhole is used as a soakaway, flowing water carrying fine sands will gradually erode the supporting soils. Over time, this leads to localised settlement, forming depressions that create safety hazards, accelerate pavement deterioration, and disrupt operations.
📍 At Al Maktoum International Airport, the pavement had settled by 60 mm around a manhole. Traditionally, the solution would have been to mill and overlay the asphalt — a process taking several days, during which the area would be closed to traffic, impacting operations and increasing total cost.
Using our precision geopolymer releveling technology, our team carefully lifted the depressed area by 60 mm in just 3 hours — all while keeping the airport fully operational.
Once lifted, water drained away correctly, and the surface is now stable, smooth, and ready for traffic.
✅ Millimetre-accurate control
✅ No operational disruption
✅ Rapid return to service
✅ Lower total cost than conventional methods
In high-demand environments, time equals money.
According to the Volterra Transport Study, closing Heathrow Airport for just one hour costs approximately £0.58 million (€0.67 million)
Copy of Geobear Transport Study…
. Even small closures can cause cascading delays, diversions, and cancellations, impacting airports, airlines, and passengers.
Faster, non-intrusive maintenance methods like geopolymer injection help avoid these disruption costs, which can vastly exceed the works budget.
🔸 Manhole-related pavement settlement is a universal design and maintenance challenge, not limited to one sector.
🔸 Geobear’s reveling solution offers a precise, rapid, and cost-effective alternative that keeps critical infrastructure open and safe — whether on a runway, highway, or urban street.
#Geobear #Aviation #Infrastructure #Geopolymer #AirportMaintenance #EngineeringInnovation #GroundEngineering #Sustainability #OperationalExcellence #AssetManagement
