Border Wall Prototypes Will Go Up This Summer

Up to 8 designs will be built in San Dieg o
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 28, 2017 12:33 AM CDT
Border Wall Prototypes Will Go Up This Summer
This image provided by Gleason Partners LLC shows a border wall concept that incorporates solar panels into the design.   (Gleason Partners LLC via AP)

People trying to make their way into the US illegally in the San Diego area may have their choice of eight kinds of border wall to tackle by September. Department of Homeland Security official Ronald Vitiello said Tuesday that authorities hope to have up to eight prototype border wall sections erected by late summer, NBC News reports. The bidding process is currently underway and Vitiello said between four and eight designs will be chosen for the final round. He said winners will be given 30 days to build their prototypes. "There'll probably be more than one or two of them there at the same time but we’ll have to sequence it so they’re not in each other’s way," Vitiello said, per the Guardian.

The winning design will be used for hundreds of miles of border wall, officials say, though Vitiello said that there will be no wall along around 130 miles of border where features like lakes or mountains already create an effective barrier. "There are places like Big Bend, Texas, where a deep river canyon along the border means fencing is just not practical or necessary," he said. "The natural barrier already slows people down as they're trying to cross the border." Vitiello said contractors are being encouraged to use innovative designs and materials, though he didn't confirm whether the solar panels President Trump has suggested will be included. (Some designers have proposed adding pipe organs or nuclear waste.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X