Trump Border Wall Prototypes Prepare To Be Battered

Prototypes of President Donald Trump's border wall were delivered last week and will undergo extensive tests to ensure they can withstand harsh conditions.

Workers will test the prototypes using sledgehammers, torches, pickaxes and battery-operated tools in order to determine their strength.

The testing is expected to last up to two months and will attempt to answer questions such as whether the wall can be climbed or dug under and if it can withstand cutting tools, ABC reports.

Each wall is 30 feet tall and is made of materials including concrete to prevent people from seeing through it. One standard requirement given to all contractors competing for the ultimate contract is that the walls are made to be “aesthetically pleasing” from the U.S. side. However, depending on the test findings, the outcome could end up being a complete redesign or merger of several of the prototypes.

The first installment of the wall is expected to cost $1.6B and if approved, will be stationed in San Diego and along a 60-mile corridor in Texas’s Rio Grand Valley. The Department of Homeland Security anticipates the final cost will be closer to $22B.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

Downtown Atlanta Improvement Group Picks Food Bank Chief As Next Leader

Trump's DEI Crackdown Is Creating New Risks For Landlords That Lease To The Government

Airbnb Launches $250M Fund To Invest In Affordable Housing

Brookfield Buys Minority Stake In Hyperscale Data Center Developer AREP

Judge Dismisses Suit Alleging Alexandria Misled Investors Over Portfolio Strength

How Companies Can Eliminate Shadow AI And Gain Value From Artificial Intelligence Tools

Canadian CRE Investors Shrug Off Trade War, Spend $9B On U.S. Assets

Oxford Properties' U.S. Investment Head On Why It's Buying Office Again — And Where

Data Center IPO Wave Reveals A Variety Of New Strategies In Booming Sector

Brandon Johnson Seeks Second Term Amid Strained CRE Relationship

Office Revenues Are Failing To Keep Pace With Expenses

HPP, Blackstone Nab Extension On $1.1B Loan Tied To 2.2M SF Hollywood Portfolio