U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has awarded three contracts to construct up to approximately 65 miles of new border wall system within U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector located in Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron Counties in Texas. The border wall system will include an 18-30 foot tall steel bollard wall, all-weather roads, lighting, enforcement cameras, and other related technology to create a complete enforcement zone. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2020, pending availability of real estate, and will take place in locations where no barriers currently exist.
One contract is to construct up to approximately 21 miles of new border wall system located within Starr County, Texas was awarded to Southern Border Constructors for the base contract amount of $120,412,400. The total contract value, including options, is $257,808,800 The project area begins west of Falcon Dam Port of Entry and extends eastward, in five non-contiguous segments, which will connect to other new border wall segments.
Another contract is to construct up to approximately 22 miles of new border wall system located within Starr and Hidalgo Counties, Texas was awarded to Southern Border Constructors for the base contract amount of $110,022,700. The total contract value, including options, is $258,085,400. The project area begins east of the Rio Grande City Port of Entry and extends eastward, in two non-contiguous segments, which will connect to other new border wall segments.
And a third contract is to construct up to approximately 22 miles of new border wall system located within Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, Texas was awarded to Gibraltar-Caddell Joint Venture for the base contract amount of $155,269,992. The total contract value, including options, is $296,709,805. The project area begins east of the Pharr Port of Entry and extends eastward, in 12 non-contiguous segments, which will connect to other new border wall segments.
The Border Patrol says the Rio Grande Valley sector is the busiest sector in the nation and accounts for approximately 40% of the illegal alien apprehensions and this year ranks first in seized cocaine and marijuana along the southwest border.
Photo: A US Customs and Border Protection vehicle drives at the gate of the border fence at the US-Mexican border on January 15, 2019 in McAllen, Texas. (Getty Images)