Planned Border Wall Construction Breaks Ground in South Donna (Texas)

KRGV (Rio Grande Valley) ^ | 8 October, 2019 | Christian von Preysing

[BeauBo]

There's heavy construction south of Donna.

It’s the second project of its kind in the Rio Grande Valley.

This is the ground preparation for the construction of a new border wall.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS asked Border Patrol about the contractors, agents and equipment we're seeing at this location.

They referred us to an April memo announcing $145 million and a contract with SLSCO to build 13 miles of border wall in the Valley.

[BeauBo]

Clearing of ground is now underway to construct massive Levee Wall System, East of McAllen, Texas.

A separate segment West of McAllen (near Bentsen State Park) is also now underway. These are the first two, of the eight contracts awarded in the Rio Grande Valley, to break ground.

This construction is for totally "New" miles, where no barrier existed before. Almost 100 "New" miles have now been contracted in the Rio Grande Valley. Over the next few months, we will ramp up to a rate of about two miles per week, just in the Rio Grande Valley.

Elsewhere along the border, we are currently completing about two miles per week in total, across several projects. Early next year, the rate should be up to about a mile per day, in total of all the projects underway. Potentially at some point, there could be a peak rate approaching two miles per day.

660 bollard panels (eight feet each) make up one mile.

As of 7 October, the Border Patrol Chief reported 71 miles completed.

[max americana]

Lies! Never Trumper Freepers said there is no wall!

[BeauBo]

More “New” miles underway in the Rio Grande Valley.

One other contract for “New” miles in the Valley is already under construction, and six more have been awarded - 95 miles in total down there.

The Rio Grande Valley will be substantially buttoned up in President Trump’s first term.

MAGA!

[dsrtsage]

The have been unable to figure out whether democrats are joyous or outraged about these latest developments

[redshawk]

With night vision goggles, you can see the illegals. Like cockroaches, they scurry from cover to cover. Hundreds every night. The stronger invaders readily abandon the less capable.

South Texas is a cesspool full of these cockroach invaders.

Dare you to doubt me.
Dare you to come here.

These cockroaches will slit your throat and then spit on you.

Hate these dumbass lying rats in DC.

[bkopto]

Thank you in your constant effort to keep us all informed on this important subject!!!

[bgill]

About time. Maybe the Mexican Army can see the border with a big wall since they can’t see it as they “mistakenly” cross over the US bridge there.

[max americana]

I believe ya. Heard it many times especially on the weird cryptid sites where the dogman just annihilates them..

[Huskrrrr]

“Planned Border Wall Construction Breaks Ground..”

While the Dems continue to only break wind.

[Cobra64]

.308 territory

[Cold Heart]

Oh come on. You are going to start a 6.5 Creedmore vs. .308 vs. 6.5 PRC thread.

[redshawk]

It’s amazing here.
From Mcallen to Eagle Pass, the cockroaches infiltrate.

[deport]

While the Dems continue to only break wind.

******************

Well some have to keep the air a stirring........

[DoughtyOne]

You know, it’s a real shame this had to happen, but the Leftists, illegal immigration activists, the illegal immigrants, the coyotes, the drug cartels, and the Mexican government, all made it a necessary effort.

I don’t like that small cemetery cut off. I don’t like that road that was obviously used, to have to be cut off.

Those small negatives are the price we have to pay to get our immigration back under control.

So be it.

Thanks Leftists, illegal immigration activists, the illegal immigrants, the coyotes, the drug cartels, and the Mexican government.

When someone asks, these are the folks who forced the wall on us.

Not Trump!

[BeauBo]

“From McAllen to Eagle Pass”

McAllen is getting some major fortifications, but Congress explicitly required five small (1-2 mile) gaps be left open. Border Patrol and new technology will concentrate there. It is going to block the great bulk of the current flow through the Rio Grande Valley - a major change for the region.

Del Rio has experienced a particularly large (in percentage terms) jump this year. Some flow may be diverting to there.

The three biggest corridors are getting shut, this year and next (San Diego, the Rio Grande Valley and Yuma), so a lot of the current flow will have to attempt less favorable routes.

The 509 miles of barrier that the Trump Administration has already funded is going to go pretty deep down the Border Patrol’s priority list. I expect that they will be resourceful next year as well, and get a couple of hundred more miles in the pipeline. Hopefully from Falcon Lake all the way up to Box Canyon/Amistad Reservoir.

[rlmorel]

I got a feeling it was for real last year when I was on a flight going south, and I struck up a conversation in the airport with a guy who was going down for...border wall work!

I shook his hand and said “Damn straight! Do it!”

It was real and tangible there...:)

[SharpRightTurn]

“660 bollard panels (eight feet each) make up one mile.”

I hope these are at least 30 feet high.

[morphing libertarian]

Great been asking for this for months

[morphing libertarian]

congress setting standards for a wall they didn’t approve?

[BeauBo]

“congress setting standards for a wall they didn’t approve?”

Congress has been appropriating some money every year for border wall - just not enough to decisively fix the problem.

Paul Ryan got a wedge added to the ten year baseline budget - about $1.4 billion per year (which grows to about $1.6 billion by the last year, with inflation).

The 2018 and 2019 appropriations were almost all earmarked for building barrier in the Rio Grande Valley. Those appropriations however, included certain restrictions. 2018 included five areas were the money could not be spent to build barrier (Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen State Park, National Butterfly Center, La Lomita Chapel and the SpaceX facilities East of Brownsville, right near the Gulf of Mexico). The 2019 appropriations included the requirement to coordinate barrier with local Governments in five areas (Roma, Escobares, La Grulla, Salineno, and Rio Grande City).

Henry Cuellar (D, Laredo) has been the main driver for inserting these little sabotage amendments into the appropriations. Apparently he is plotting another little landmine for the 2020 appropriation, for cemeteries (known and unknown) that might exist along the route.

So really Congress is just setting the standards (and exemptions) for the areas that it is funding. One possibility that has been discussed, is that the Administration might use some of the other funding that it has taken from other sources, to build barrier in the gaps exempted by the appropriations. So far, there is no sign that they intend to do that - probably more of a fight than it is worth at this point. Many officers now required to saturate a hundred miles of heavy vegetation where barrier is being built, will be freed up to focus on a few remaining miles of gaps - which themselves will still be getting powerful new technology, essentially everything but the bollards.

The really major effort is getting done. After this hundred miles in the Rio Grande Valley, everything else is relatively easier, cheaper, and less operationally important. It was the biggest single battle in the war to secure the Southern Border, and victory has been fully funded, and already awarded on contract.