They are just now getting around to it, after the Obama Administration halted any new contracts.
Here is an example:
Posted on 08/08/2019 1:44:01 PM PDT by BeauBo
If the Border Patrol is happy, I’m happy.
Good for you, but I want something more than a temporary metal barrier.
The bollards will need to be replaced, probably even in my lifetime, and I’m retired already.
We’ve waited 30 years or more for a Wall, the temporary barriers won’t last as long as we’ve waited for them to be built.
It’s foolish and very short sighted to settle for so little.
Do a search on BeauBo’s comments on this topic and educate yourself. I have read many of his very informative comments about the metal bollards going up and I am 100% convinced that they are excellent.
Etiquette ping for BB.
I don’t doubt that they are excellent, today, but people who are a lot more familiar with the steel used for the bollards call it 20 year steel.
Fischer San and Gravel uses a different steel for their bollards, they call theirs 50 year steel, but they aren’t putting this stretch up.
Do you really want to go through this all again in 20 years?
They are just now getting around to it, after the Obama Administration halted any new contracts.
Here is an example:
Did you read what BB said about this type of steel? A few months ago there were some very techincal discussions about this particular type of steel that was above my head but it was clear to me that these bollards are going to last a long, long time.
“The bollards will need to be replaced, probably even in my lifetime, and I’m retired already.”
They are made of a special type of steel, that is formulated for long term corrosion resistance in exterior applications. It has been in service for over fifty years in humid temperate environments (the John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois, completed in 1964). It quickly forms a special type of surface rust, that seals the rest as a very durable coating.
They are also of a heavy thickness, to give them the strength to stop large speeding vehicles from ramming, so there is a lot of material underneath the surface coat.
From Wikipedia:
“Weathering steel, often referred to by the genericized trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rust-like appearance after several years’ exposure to weather.
U.S. Steel holds the registered trademark on the name COR-TEN.[1] The name COR-TEN refers to the two distinguishing properties of this type of steel: corrosion resistance and tensile strength.”
They are maintenance-free, except in salty marine environments (even there, they are expected to last for decades). In desert areas, their service life is expected to easily exceed a century.
Also, the bollards themselves are filled with concrete and heavy (inch or more) rebar, when the outer steel eventually decays.
U.S. Steel holds the registered trademark on the name COR-TEN.[1] The name COR-TEN refers to the two distinguishing properties of this type of steel: corrosion resistance and tensile strength.”
______________________________________________________
When Cor-10 first came out, the engineers I knew at the time were all very impressed.
It’s had over 50 years of real-life testing.
I appreciate all your posting on the Wall.
The thirty footers are thicker steel, and have a wider interior, containing a thicker reinforced concrete pillar than the 18 footers. The heavy steel surrounding the concrete posts, provides the concrete strong protection from attacks with chisels or sledgehammers. The eighteen footers have proven very durable and resistant to breaching, tunneling and climbing attacks - thirty footers are kind of over the top.
The see through design of the bollards has been a major factor in keeping people back from the barrier, and denying them time to stage and conduct attempts to breach, tunnel or climb. US Army Combat Engineers have a doctrine, that any obstacle not kept under observation, is subject to counter-obstacle tactics. See through barriers allow such observation from the American side, and people on the Mexican side feel like they can be seen (and are). It also has effectively ended the rock throwing tactic that injured many Border Patrol Officers over the years.
Mexicans attempting to breach or climb have been photographed through the bollards, identified, and arrested in cooperation with Mexican police. Surveillance cameras can monitor into Mexico through the bollards, allowing officers earlier warning, and the ability to identify threats before they arrive on scene (is it a pregnant woman setting off the alarm, or 12 young men with rifles?).
Border Patrol placed a very high value on having see through barriers, based on their years of operational experience with them and solid barriers.
“I don’t know if you have a ping list but if you do, I want on it.”
I don’t know how to do ping lists.
LOL
I’ll just check on your name more often.
Anyone whining needs to read the above.
The RVSS towers on your graphic, are the Remote Video Surveillance Systems, one of the main technology programs that CPB incorporates into their “Wall System” infrastructure.
Integrated Fixed Towers (IFT) and Unmanned Ground Sensors (UGS - such as the “electronic monitoring” depicted in the enforcement zone of your graphic) are the other main programs. All three are kind of categories, with tailorable components. All of them might provide data feeds into command posts.
The video system allows the command post to see the whole enforcement zone (Day and Night), and to zoom in on anything that triggers an alarm, or is of interest to those watching the screens. They might also include laser designators.
The number and types of sensors are impressive - pressure (contact), vibration (for tunneling or footfalls), acoustic (for aerial drones), infrared (heat - for people camoflaged by vegetation or ghillie suits), visual, and “linear detection systems” for anything crossing a line. Some sensors are constantly online - I call them alarm systems. Others might be offline, like a hidden game camera with a motion detector, that you have to send somebody out to check. Some are fixed, others can be re-positioned.
In addition to their three main technology programs, there are a variety of smaller projects, like drones, and mast mounted surveillance packages for patrol vehicles.
Lots of rebar in the concrete that will sit under this stretch of 18 footers in San Diego's primary barrier, as an anti-tunneling obstacle. After the concrete hardened, forms were placed on top for the concrete to set the bollards into.
Lieutenant General Semonite, Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers inspected the San Diego barrier Construction. The 18 foot primary barrier is complete from the Ocean to Otay Mountain 14 miles to the East. The 30 foot secondary barrier will finish around Christmas. The enforcement zone between them will be alarmed and monitored by multiple systems, all tied in to a command post.
You’re a wealth of info on a topic that it’s hard to get any info on. The news media desire doesn’t want to report on this stuff. Thanks for the updates.
BTW, do you think the accomplishments Trump is making and us able to make with existing resources will make much of a difference in the border situation?
One area where a wall may not be constructed according to a bill passed by Congress and signed by Trump was the Santa Ana National Wildlife (and other parks and refuges). See New Law.
It always struck me as strange that a wall was outlawed at Santa Ana, although I recognize that a successful campaign was launched against putting up a wall there.
At Santa Ana, the levee already exists. The visitor center and its parking lot are just north of the levee. The parts of the refuge where birds and animals reside are presently reached two ways: (1) a foot trail from the visitor center going over the levee and the bridge over the levee's adjoining canal, and (2) a road for tram tours and refuge work vehicles going into the refuge's road system south of the levee.
If a wall were to be erected on the exiting levee without the extensive cleared area south of the wall, it would present a barrier to illegal entry from Mexico. A cleared area with sensors and a road could be put on the north side of the levee and canal with no need to clear much of any thing south of the levee where the birds and animals that the refuge was created to protect reside.
Visitors to the refuge could have the same access to the trails, ponds, and wildlife through the two entry points they have always had, although gates at those two entry points would have to be added. The road access would be by authorized opening of the road gate and the trail gate could be monitored as well. The gates would be closed after visiting hours.
The argument that animals such as the ocelot would be prevented from crossing the wall is a little specious. Actually, if there were any ocelots at Santa Ana, they would actually be protected from getting run over on the highways north of the refuge. Highway deaths seem to be a major problem for ocelots in other areas of South Texas where populations of ocelots currently exist. See Ocelot deaths occur on highways.
“do you think the accomplishments Trump is making and us able to make with existing resources will make much of a difference in the border situation?”
The real long pole in the tent, are the laws and policies designed to hamstring rational immigration policy and enforcement.
Bottom Line: President Trump is going to get a seriously effective upgrade in physical border security, in his first term, and would (very) likely get complete operational control of the border if given a second.
They have an excellent, comprehensive plan, that was painstakingly developed in response to the President’s Executive Order (first week in office) to establish full operational control of the Southern Border. The plan calls for $25 billion over five years, 1,100 miles of barrier, thousands of new full time positions, and several technology programs.
The barrier building program is prioritized segment by segment. The first 300-400 miles do most of the job (the border cities and the Rio Grande Valley) and the rest close off likely alternate routes, where the terrain is vehicle passable, or you can walk to an American urban area in the same day.
The declaration of emergency by the President identifies enough money to get over 400 miles of barrier built, or on contract (with the money committed, i.e. too late for a new Administration to block). This includes almost the whole Rio Grande Valley, which is by far the hardest, most expensive, and most important sector of the border.
Outside of urbanized areas, barrier doesn’t matter as much in practice, as do reliable detection, tracking and intercept capabilities. Ropes and ladders can defeat obstacles - even Mount Everest. The barrier is needed for crowd control, vehicle ramming attempts, and deterring the bulk of crossers (unaided free climbers) - otherwise it just provides a delay against determined people with the right equipment.
That is where the technology programs play a larger role. Like the barrier program, the first year or more of the technology efforts was focused on careful planning and evaluation. Like the barrier effort, this year marks the beginning of large scale deployment. Compared to barrier, technology is much cheaper (about 1/1,000th the cost per mile to procure - but more to operate and maintain). Technology also is less visible, so it draws less press - but it also rolls out quicker.
Hundreds of miles are getting coverage this year by Integrated Fixed Towers alone, including over half the Arizona border, with the large Tohono O’odham Nation - the only Indian reservation on the border. Several different technology programs are rolling out, providing significant new capabilities, and layers of protection.
So huge strides are now occurring to physically secure the border, and will accelerate through next year, making a very significant impact.
Ultimately, immigration laws and incentives need to change to really control immigration - but President Trump is effectively getting infrastructure installed that is going to seriously make a difference in the Border Patrol’s ability to control the border.
I agree with you that barrier could be effectively installed without restricting use.
But the bottom line is that it is just an excuse the Left uses to delay effective barrier from being erected, because they want more Democrat voters long term.
Regardless, almost the whole Rio Grande Valley is funded for barrier, between the 2018 and 2019 appropriations (and maybe a little emergency declaration funding) - so Border Patrol will be able to increasingly focus a lot more resources on the few remaining gaps. Rio Grande construction is fixing to get off to races this Fall - five contracts have been awarded already.
Also, significant new technology capabilities can cover those gaps. Those programs are rolling out quickly and don’t have the Congressional restriction. The levee is a clear area for detection.
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