I live 15 miles north from the largest and busiest border crossing in the world.
San Diego - Tijuana
The fence is over 15 feet high and triple
see other post:http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/87353.pdf
see other post:http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/87353.pdf
The fence has been under construction since 1993. Lawsuits and environmental regulations have stalled completion of the final 3.5 miles, which go through a tidal estuary next to the Pacific Ocean. Last fall, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff used his authority to waive some legal requirements that were bogging down the process.
The government says that about $39 million has been spent on the project so far, though some critics think that's a conservative figure. The Department of Homeland Security expects to spend an additional $35 million to finish the last leg of the fence. The Border Patrol, though, says the cost could be higher.
Q: What kind of security measures does it employ?
The 14-mile project is actually a double- and triple-fence. The first fence was built with surplus military airplane landing mats that were welded together. The second fence is called Sandia fencing, because it was developed at the government's Sandia National Laboratories. It's steel mesh, 15 feet high, with the top part slanted inward. In high-traffic areas, there's a third chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. In between the first two fences is a 150-foot "no man's land." The Border Patrol uses that area to station vehicles. There are also light towers, and remote video-surveillance cameras are being installed even as I write. Security is augmented by helicopters and hundreds of ground-based Border Patrol agents.
Some areas use closely spaced concrete pillars instead of steel mesh for the second fence. And the last 150 yards or so -- leading into the sea -- is made of steel pillars sunk into the sand.