What Geology Has to Say About Building a 1,000-Mile Border Wall

[bigheadfred]

Last month, President Donald Trump took steps to make good on a campaign promise to turn the United States’ existing border fence into a "big, beautiful" wall. On January 25, the White House issued an Executive Order announcing the creation of a “secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier … to prevent illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and acts of terrorism.” Now the U.S. Customs and Border Protection—the office tasked with enforcing border regulations—is scrambling to make that order a concrete reality.

Today’s fence consists of roughly 650 miles of disparate segments, made out of a combination of steel posts and rails, metal sheeting, chain link, concrete vehicle barriers and wire mesh. To replace that fence with what has been described as a 20- to 50-foot concrete structure that will traverse 1,000 of the some 2,000 miles of the U.S.’s border with Mexico will be no easy feat. Besides dealing with a proposed Mexican lawsuit and navigating the private ownership of much of Texas’ lands, there is another concern few have addressed in detail: geology.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/vast-geological-challenges-building-border-wall-180962072/

[Elderberry]

Interesting article.

Building this wall is no simple thing.

I have my doubts that it will be completed.

[Bigun]

We can repeatedly put men on the moon with what compares to Tandy 1000s but we can't build an effective border barrier?  You've got to be kidding me!

[Fishrrman]

Look at the miles and miles and miles of "sound barriers" built along interstates.

If they can build big walls there, they can build 'em on the border, easily.

[bigheadfred]

Look at the miles and miles and miles of "sound barriers" built along interstates.

If they can build big walls there, they can build 'em on the border, easily.

'It can be done' built this country.

[ABX]

Look at the miles and miles and miles of "sound barriers" built along interstates.

If they can build big walls there, they can build 'em on the border, easily.

enough time, enough money, anything is possible. I35 South between Austin and Georgetown have been building these for going on 25 years for a ten mile stretch, and by the looks of it, they may finish this century.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Interesting article.

Building this wall is no simple thing.

I have my doubts that it will be completed.

The Chinese did it 2000 years ago.  And it was built not on flat land, but on mountaintop ridges.

I we doubt we can do some of a lesser extent, how woeful are we?

[Frank Cannon]

Walls work. I haven't had any vagrants walking down the street steal my Rolex since I put mine behind them. Pretty simple idea.

[truth_seeker]

Santa Monica Freeway to Reopen on Tuesday :

Recovery: The contractor will get a $14.5-million bonus for finishing earthquake repairs 74 days early.

April 06, 1994|NORA ZAMICHOW and VIRGINIA ELLIS | TIMES STAFF WRITERS

Less than three months after the Northridge earthquake knocked down two sections of the world's busiest thoroughfare, Gov. Pete Wilson announced Tuesday that the Santa Monica Freeway will reopen next week, ending frustrating delays and bottlenecks for thousands of commuters.

State officials hope the final cleanup of construction work can be completed early April 12 in time to let rush-hour traffic inaugurate the two new freeway bridges at La Cienega and Washington boulevards.

Spurred by the promise of an extra $200,000 a day for every day work was completed ahead of schedule, the contractor, C. C. Myers Inc., will finish the project 74 days before a June 24 deadline and rack up a $14.5-million bonus for the company.

The high-speed construction was made possible by crews working around the clock, seven days a week, and by state officials cutting through red tape.

snip

In Sacramento, Caltrans Director James van Loben Sels estimated that without the accelerated effort the project would probably have taken two years to complete.

snip

Less than 3 months, versus two years....proves that a task can be done, when the vital nature is widely agreed. Sections of the freeway had collapsed due to the quake, and commuting was horrific.

[Free Vulcan]

Sounds like liberal Smithsonian concern troll is concerned.

We've done bigger things than this.