Settlement of the Kansai International Airport Islands

The Kansai International Airport was constructed in Osaka Bay in 18- to 20-m-deep seawater to avoid noise pollution and land acquisition disputes. Construction of the 511-ha Island I began in 1987 and Runway I began operation in 1994. Construction of the 545-ha Island II began in 1999, and Runway II began operation in 2007. Using more than 2.2 million vertical sand drains fully penetrating into the 17.3- to 24.1-m-thick Holocene clay layer and...