By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The agency announced Thursday that it had selected four companies to build concrete prototypes of the 2,000-mile wall, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Today we mark a significant milestone,” said Ronald Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “This is the first tangible result of the action planning that has gone on. This is the use of the resources we had available for this year.”
But Trump is a long way to making his wall a reality. Congress has only appropriated $20 million, which will pay for the prototypes.
The Post wrote:
Construction on the concrete prototypes is expected to begin in two weeks, and should be completed this fall within 30 days after breaking ground. The prototypes will be 30 feet long and up to 30 feet high and will be located near one another, he said. They will act as a secondary barrier in a border enforcement zone that already has a fence.
Department of Homeland Security officials will spend 30 to 60 days using small hand tools to test the prototypes’ resistance to tampering and penetration, Vitiello said.
Officials will consider aesthetics as well as anti-climb features and how to complement the physical barrier with technology.
