Posted on 05/20/2016 8:39:08 AM PDT by conservative98
He has said that the wall would be built from precast concrete and steel and that it could be 50 feet tall, if not higher. After calling for it to extend across the entire 2,000-mile southern border, he more recently said half that length could be sufficient because of natural barriers. He has pegged the cost at $4 billion to $12 billion, most recently settling on around $10b.
Some see that as low. “There’s a lot of logistics involved in this, and I don’t know how thoroughly they’ve thought it out,” said Todd Sternfeld, chief executive of Superior Concrete, a Texas-based builder of walls. “The resources alone would be astronomical.”
Mr. Sternfeld, who has led major wall projects across the country and approached the Trump family last summer, suggested that Mr. Trump was overly optimistic about the cost and was underestimating the complexity of the undertaking.
Running the numbers, Mr. Sternfeld said a 40-foot-tall concrete wall using a “post and panel” system that went 10 feet below the ground — to minimize tunneling — would cost at least $26 billion. The logistics would be nightmarish, including multiple concrete casting sites and temporary housing for a crew of 1,000 workers if the job were to be completed within Mr. Trump’s first four-year term.
Maintenance would be an additional recurring expense, said Walter W. Boles, an engineering professor at Middle Tennessee State University who specializes in concrete construction. Deep trench work would also be necessary for keeping a wall of that height from toppling, he said, and seismic sensors to detect digging would be wise for preserving its integrity from below.
“That’s one heck of a construction project,” said Mr. Boles, who assessed Patrick J. Buchanan’s 1996 proposal for a border barrier. “It’s certainly a lot more ambitious than I was imagining.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
What would it take?
The will to do so...and the backing of the American people.
I think he will have both.
I guess aliens built the Hoover Dam and the Panama canal to name a few?
WOW!!!
This guy’s estimate puts it at $2,400 per foot. Lefties declare this impossible.
California’s high speed rail cost $16,000 per foot (likely to go up). Lefties declare this possible.
Walls are static, not precision built, and easy to maintain. Lefties think this is hard.
High speed railroads include things moving at hundreds of mph, must be built to precise tolerances, and must constantly be monitored and inspected to avoid catastrophe. Lefties think this is easy.
Trump wants to use fees on money transfers to Mexico, so he has a funding source. Lefties think this is impossible.
The bullet train relies on taxpayer money for construction, and incredibly shaky estimates of ridership and fare rates to keep the system operational. Lefties close their eyes and pretend that these estimates always fall short.
This is what they have to resort to, lamenting about the price. As though the cost of anything has mattered to the NYT.
What really frosts them is that a law regarding the wall was PASSED by Congress and SIGNED into law by a President. Both of whom assumed it would never happen...they thought it was a “show” vote for them. heh
Trump needs the permission of no one, and only needs to tell the IRS to enforce the existing law of the EITC payments to pay for it.
LOL.
Ok, so the same newspaper that thinks we can change the climate of the earth declares it impossible to build 1000 miles of wall.
Let’s see...
First you have to start with a more accurate number - 22 million would be a conservative one. A cheap first step would be to make a federal program where any illegal can go to any airport, present a passport or other documentation and get a free one way flight home, after being fingerprinted and photographed.
That right there would probably result in millions self-deporting.
Next apply existing federal law and make companies liable for illegal hires by contractors and sub-contractors. That would decimate construction, landscaping and building maintenance companies and result in millions more self-deporting.
Next, apply existing law to cut off SNAP and other federal programs that use US born children to gain benefits. Cut off funding to sanctuary cities - millions more will self-deport.
And of course, since Mexico will refuse to build a wall, the application of existing real ID law to wire transfers, money orders, and other forms of banking will cut off nearly 50 billion of funds going from illegals to families overseas (around the world.) Millions more will self-deport.
You’re finally down to where the Times says we’re at, and while it will be difficult, it won’t be impossible. You just have to set national resolve to ignore the sob stories and apply the laws equally. And if that requires countering every single sob story video with one of someone who has been waiting a decade to come to the US, that is probably something Trump will ensure happens.
“No more cutting the line” could easily become a rally call.
Democrats love expensive, long-running government projects. LOTs of jobs and money going into the economy. Trump can win either way - it’s a cheap, efficient project running like a private company would do it. Or it provides more jobs for a longer period like a government project. You know Trump will spin it in his favor not matter what the bureaucrats and politicians do to disrupt his plans.
Either way WE win if we get a wall. And if Trump (and congress) eliminates jobs and benefits for illegals, then legal workers on both sides (Rs and Ds) win. And much of the deportation could be as simple as providing free flights home to people who can’t get a job or a place to live or government benefits.
We can either be “cruel” to illegals or to legal residents who need jobs and benefits. There’s no way to be fair to both groups and our government’s obligations are to legal residents. I can certainly see Trump making that argument in a way republicans haven’t tried and democrats avoid.
The Ds will lose support from illegals but other than that I don’t see any downside for anyone in Trump’s plans.
Instead of a wall how about some “area denial sentries” like the robotic machine guns in the Aliens movie? The deporting “aliens” would be required to clean up the remains. They wouldn’t be back.
A million a month...that’s all we ask.
11 million!?
It’s more like 50 million.
That’s a bargain considering how many tax dollars are spent on illegals.
Build it out of adobe, use wetback labor.
What else would NYT say? If we can go to the moon, we can build a wall. It just takes will power. The savings in welfare will be in the trillions and the improvement in national security priceless, while the cost of the wall will be only billions.
I don't see the problem. The most expensive and time consuming of the operation would be the foundation. The concrete panels would be precast and brought on-sight by trucks and placed by cranes. It would proceed much faster than most imagine.
Make America Great again. We can do anything.
Excellent post!
As a young man once, Trump built a house BY HIMSELF. I've heard him relate the story. He KNOWS what's involved. As head of his firm in charge of margins and profitability he knows how much a foot of rebar steel costs, or a bolt or screw. Sheesh. He knows what can be done and what it takes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.