New Border Wall Construction Underway In Hidalgo County

[Elderberry]

KURV710 by jsalinas 4/4/2019

Construction is starting this week on new segments of the levee wall system in Hidalgo County.

The Customs and Border Protection Bureau issued a news release today stating construction will begin on a total of 13 miles of new levee wall. The construction is getting underway about a month-and-a-half after crews finished clear-cutting trees and brush on long stretches of federal land in preparation.

More: http://www.kurv.com/new-border-wall-construction-underway-in-hidalgo-county/

[Sanguine]

It's very badly needed.

[Elderberry]

As crews survey land for a border wall, troops add temporary barriers in Texas, Arizona

By ROSE L. THAYER | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 1, 2019

https://www.stripes.com/as-crews-survey-land-for-a-border-wall-troops-add-temporary-barriers-in-texas-arizona-1.575232

Surveyors from the Army Corps of Engineers will spend the next week assessing sites near Yuma, Ariz., and El Paso, Texas, where construction of a border wall is projected to begin as early as next month, a defense official confirmed Friday.

The teams arrived Thursday following the transfer of funds to the corps to begin work, said Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, Pentagon spokesman.

The Defense Department announced March 25 that acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan authorized $1 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing 57 miles of 18-foot-high fencing. The authorization also includes constructing and improving roads and installing lighting.

At the request of the Department of Homeland Security, the work will occur within the Yuma and El Paso sectors of the border, according to a news release about Shanahan’s authorization. The El Paso sector includes the two most western counties in Texas and all of New Mexico, based on Customs and Border Patrol’s website. Yuma includes the western portion of Arizona and Blythe Station in California. Combined, the sectors include 394 miles of border.

Following the assessment, the corps of engineers will bid out the construction of the wall, Davis said. Army engineers will not build it. He said he estimates the Army will award a contract by the end of April and construction could begin shortly thereafter.

More at link.

[austingirl]

Good to hear!

[Right_in_Virginia]

New Border Wall Construction Underway In Hidalgo County
KURV, Apr 4, 2019

Construction is starting this week on new segments of the levee wall system in Hidalgo County.

The Customs and Border Protection Bureau issued a news release today stating construction will begin on a total of 13 miles of new levee wall. The construction is getting underway about a month-and-a-half after crews finished clear-cutting trees and brush on long stretches of federal land in preparation.

Two contracts awarded to a Galveston company last fall are for five miles of levee wall to be built south of Mission from Greene Road to the west, and also for eight miles of the project from Alamo to Mercedes.

http://www.kurv.com/new-border-wall-construction-underway-in-hidalgo-county/

[Right_in_Virginia]

(photo from 28 March 2019) 30 foot bollards are going up in San Diego, behind the new 18 foot bollards recently installed.

[Right_in_Virginia]

The first fund transfer recently sent from DoD is expected to put 47 miles of wall system on contract for New Mexico this month. It will roughly extend the new barrier from El Paso, almost to the Eastern edge of Hidalgo County (where the border corners South). Work is expected to begin in late May.

DHS requested that DoD fund two projects in New Mexico (El Paso Sector of the Border). They have already funded the first (described above), and are expected to fund the second soon (which builds in Hidalgo County, out from the Ports of entry).

Here are the details from the DHS 25 Feb Memo:

El Paso Project 1 (already funded): The project includes 46 miles of vehicle barrier replacement beginning approximately 17.5 miles west of the Columbus Port of Entry continuing east in non-contiguous segments to approximately 35 miles east of the Columbus Port of Entry within the Luna and Dona Ana Counties, NewMexico.StartCoordinate:31.7837,-107.923151;EndCoordinate:31.783689,-107.679049; StartCoordinate:31.783672,-107.573919;EndCoordinate:31.783741,-107.038154

•El Paso Project 2 (awaiting funding, which is expected): The project includes 23.51 miles of Vehicle Barrier replacement in non-contiguous segments within Hidalgo and Luna Counties, New Mexico.

The first segment begin approximately 5.1 miles east of the NewMexico/Arizona Border continuing east 4.55 miles.
 StartCoordinate:31.332323,-108.962631;EndCoordinate:31.332292,-108.885946;

The second segment begins approximately 3 miles west of the Antelope Wells Port of Entry to 3 miles east of the port of entry for 6.12 miles of Vehicle Barrier replacement. StartCoordinate:31.333368,-108.582412;EndCoordinate:31.333407,-108.47926;

The third segment begins approximately 20 miles west of the Columbus Port of Entry extending west 12.84 miles.
 StartCoordinate:31.783722,-108.182442;EndCoordinate:31.783708,-107.963193;

[Elderberry]

  The Briefing Room »State Chapters »Texas »
    New Border Wall Construction Underway In Hidalgo County
« on: Today at 07:09:52 PM »
KURV710 by jsalinas 4/4/2019
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,357123.msg1950970.html#msg1950970

[Right_in_Virginia]

  The Briefing Room »State Chapters »Texas »
    New Border Wall Construction Underway In Hidalgo County
« on: Today at 07:09:52 PM »
KURV710 by jsalinas 4/4/2019
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,357123.msg1950970.html#msg1950970

Thanks @Elderberry   But maybe we can also keep it here .... since the wall is such national/political news?  This affects more than Texans.   

[Free Vulcan]

Will take whatever we can get.

[MOD8]

Merged topics

[Elderberry]

Building the wall: A construction timeline

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/building-the-wall-a-construction-timeline/551050/

This timeline is ongoing and will be updated as events unfold.

A cornerstone to President Donald Trump’s agenda, construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has stirred up controversy from its earliest mentions on the campaign trail.

Even after scaling back his vision for a “great big wall” of concrete spanning nearly 2,000 miles to a steel bollard design replacing particularly rundown stretches, the president has struggled to garner the Congressional support (and funding) that’s needed for the national security push. Work is underway, but the government shutdown, national emergency declaration and other measures have stirred up so much noise in the media that these details are easily lost.

Here, we’ve distilled the timeline of events down to key funding developments and project activity over the past few years. You’ll notice some of the players involved, contract amounts, scopes of work — and that replacement of existing structure far outweighs construction of new wall. Though progress has been piecemeal, more is to come, so we’ll keep this up to date with the latest.

2017: A campaign promise takes shape

    February 9
    Report reveals new cost, plans for Trump's Mexico border wall

    A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report said a combination of fences and walls would cost nearly $22 billion, compared to the $12 billion figure Trump cited on the campaign trail, and would take more than three years to construct.

    July 18
    Army Corps starts preconstruction work on US–Mexico border wall

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) started drilling and testing soil samples to determine which types of walls would work best at different points along the border.-----

2018: Work begins

    February 21
    Border work kicks off with small but high-priority Calexico replacement

    The administration's first contract award went to SWF Constructors to install a 30-foot steel bollard wall in place of roughly 2 miles of barrier made up of scrap metal and Vietnam-era landing pads.------

2019: Patchy progress, wobbly funding

    January 8
    Trump prolongs shutdown in hopes of $5.7B for 'steel barrier'

    The president’s funding request, to support 234 miles of wall infrastructure, was $4.1 billion more than what the Senate proposed and signalled the administration’s pivot away from “concrete wall” language.

    January 10
    Border wall prototypes breached with common tools

    Reports surfaced that military and CBP testers found all eight prototypes destructible and were able to cut through the steel bollard fence with a saw.

    February 11
    Congress approves just under $1.4B, to cover 55 miles of new barrier

    Trump was unhappy with the funding deal, which was a concession for some Democrats, but subsequently signed it to reopen the government after its longest-ever, 35-day shutdown.----

More at link

[Right_in_Virginia]

Hang onto your hat, this year is not going to be like the last two. DoD just funded 57 miles to be contracted this month, and start work next month. There is another 161 miles they are expected to fund soon from the same Counter-Drug account. Congress funded 55 more miles in the Rio Grande Valley in February. 66 other miles were awarded at the end of last year (along with the segments starting today) and they will be starting work over the next weeks and months.

And that is before any of the emergency funding, which is enough to contract hundreds of more miles.

They're looking at about a tenfold increase in the rate of wall building over this year.

[Elderberry]

Here’s where the Trump administration plans to build the border wall

fox5sandiego.com March 29, 2019, by CNN Wire

https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/03/29/heres-where-the-trump-administration-plans-to-build-the-border-wall/

The Department of Homeland Security has requested assistance from the Defense Department to mount approximately 218 miles of new and replacement barriers along the US-Mexico border, according to documents released by the Sierra Club, a grassroots environmental organization.

In a February 25 memo to the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security identifies four sectors along the southern border that require reinforcement through barriers, light installation and other measures. Combined, the mileage amounts to approximately 218 miles of new or replacement barrier, just shy of the White House’s January request of approximately 234 miles.

The four sectors listed are: El Centro, Yuma, Tucson and El Paso. In addition to new replacement barriers, the Department of Homeland Security has also requested assistance with road construction and light installation.

    In the El Centro sector, the Department of Homeland Security requests the replacement of around 15 miles of existing vehicle barrier with new pedestrian fencing, in addition to light installation. The project is located in Imperial County, California.

    In the Yuma sector, the Department of Homeland Security has asked for assistance to replace around 36 miles of existing vehicle barrier and approximately six miles of “dilapidated pedestrian fencing with new pedestrian fencing,” in addition to light installation. The areas are located in Yuma County, Arizona.

    In the Tucson sector, the Department of Homeland Security requests replacing around 86 miles of existing vehicle barrier with new pedestrian fencing, in addition to light installation. The areas are located in Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona.

    In the El Paso Sector, which includes New Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security requests replacing approximately 70 miles of existing vehicle barrier with new pedestrian fencing, in addition to light installation. Areas are located in Luna, Hidalgo and Doña Ana Counties, New Mexico.

More at link

[Elderberry]

Rep. Torres Small Demands Answers on Decision to Build New Border Wall in Remote Southern NM

torressmall.house.gov

https://torressmall.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-torres-small-demands-answers-decision-build-new-border-wall-remote-southern

Washington, D.C. -  Today, Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability (OMA), and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following letter they sent to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen following the Administration’s decision to prioritize border barrier construction in a remote and low-traffic area of southern New Mexico.

“We write to express our serious concerns regarding the $1 billion reprogrammed from military personnel funding for the Drug Interdictions and Counter-Narcotics Activities account to build 57 miles of pedestrian fencing along the Southwest border,” Reps. Torres Small and Thompson wrote. “We object to this transfer as it does not address the real needs of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the El Paso Sector, will negatively impact the morale and readiness of our service members, and was not considered or approved by Congress.”

Dear Secretary Nielsen:

We write to express our serious concerns regarding the $1 billion reprogrammed from military personnel funding for the Drug Interdictions and Counter-Narcotics Activities account to build 57 miles of pedestrian fencing along the Southwest border. We object to this transfer as it does not address the real needs of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the El Paso Sector, will negatively impact the morale and readiness of our service members, and was not considered or approved by Congress.

In your February 25, 2019 request to the U.S. Department of Defense, you called for 46 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing in the Doña Ana and Luna counties of southern New Mexico. Given the Administration’s decision to shut down the government over border wall funding and its subsequent declaration of a national state of emergency, we are troubled by your decision to prioritize the construction of border barriers in this remote and rural section of the Southwest border. This stretch of the border is already protected by dozens of miles of vehicle barriers and is not a high-traffic area, relative to other sections of the Southwest border.

Instead of investing millions on 18-foot-high fences in rural and isolated areas, we ask you to use these funds to remedy the high attrition rates of Border Patrol, and to enhance detection and surveillance technology to improve our agents’ situational awareness in rural and hard-to-reach areas. These funds would also be better used for deploying inspection technology at our ports of entry, where most illicit narcotics enter the country.

To help us understand why you chose to prioritize border barrier construction in the remote and low-traffic lands of the Doña Ana and Luna counties, we ask that you respond to the following questions by no later than April 12, 2019.

In the aforementioned 46-mile border stretch in southern New Mexico:

    How many miles of vehicle barriers are there?
    How many migrants were apprehended between the ports since 2016? Of those, how many presented themselves to an agent? How many were family units?   
    What is the value, in U.S. dollars, of illicit narcotics CBP has interdicted at and between the ports of entry since 2016?
    How many total agents and officers, including new hires and reassignments, have been assigned since 2016?

Additionally,

    Prior to your decision to construct pedestrian fencing, did you review alternatives, such as technology, to determine the most efficient method to detect individuals crossing the border? If so, please provide documentation of the alternatives analysis.
    Prior to your decision to construct pedestrian fencing, did you analyze which areas along the southern border to prioritize for construction? If so, please provide full documentation of the report.

We appreciate your attention into this important matter and look forward to your prompt response.

[verga]

BKMK

[Elderberry]

States ask judge to stop construction of Trump border wall

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/437553-states-ask-judge-to-stop-construction-of-trump-border-wall

California on Friday led a group of 20 states in requesting that a federal judge stop President Trump from diverting federal funds to build his wall on the southern border.

The state attorneys general announced their request for the preliminary injunction as Trump traveled to California to visit a segment of the border wall.

In the filing, the states argue that Trump’s declaration of a national emergency in order to divert federal funding to the wall from other sources is unconstitutional, and that construction of the wall under those circumstances would cause irreparable damage.

More at link.

[Sanguine]

States ask judge to stop construction of Trump border wall

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/437553-states-ask-judge-to-stop-construction-of-trump-border-wall