President Donald Trump was not joking when he declared that his country can no longer tolerate illegal immigration, especially from Mexico. Since then, the US has been moving fast towards constructing the wall that would separate and ‘protect’ it from the underdeveloped neighbor in the South. Eight different wall designs were proposed to the US government to pick one to be constructed. Trials for testing the efficiency of the 8 designs will commence shortly near the US/Mexican border south of California. The trials will include pickaxes, sledgehammers, and several other tools that would try to breach the prototypes.
Gregory Bull / AP
Each of the 8 wall portions, going under test, will have a height of 9.1 meters. The examiners will try to dig under them to see how the designs would counteract such situations.
“We’re going to test them for breathability, for the subterranean aspect,” commented Roy Villareal – US Customs and Borders Protection chief agent.
250 companies applied their wall designs, but only six were chosen by the Department of Homeland Security. Bidding has started in February 2017, one month after Donald Trump held office.
Elliott Spagat / AP
Four of the selected designs are made of concrete whereas the other four are made of different materials. Caddell Construction, a construction company based in Alabama, has submitted two of the eight prototypes. Their designs include a concrete wall that is thicker on the lower side, while the other design comprises a solid upper part and a transparent lower one. Philadelphia-based WG Yates & Sons have also submitted two prototypes, one of which is made of concrete and the other from metal. KWR Construction presented a semi-transparent design, Texas Sterling Construction proposed a wall mounted with spikes and fortified mesh, Fisher Sand & Gravel suggested a solid concrete wall, whereas ELTA North America submitted a radiator-resembling design.
The government is considering the cost after a bill was issued by Trump, who granted the wall construction 1.6 billion dollars. Awkwardly, the newly-elected president claimed earlier that he could design a less expensive version of the wall if it was necessary.
