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Trump wall prototypes face rigorous testing

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Trump wall prototypes face rigorous testing



Sledgehammers, pickaxes, torches and battery operated tools will be used to test the mettle of US President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico now that prototypes have been completed.
The tests are expected to take up to two months to complete and could lead to elements from several designs being merged together to create effective walls, Ronald Vitiello, US Customs and Border Protection's acting deputy commissioner said on Thursday.
Results of the testing will dictate future wall construction, which has not yet been funded by Congress.
The testing won't start for at least a month because some concrete in the wall prototypes still needs to dry.
Vitiello told reporters that workers during the 30-60 day testing period will try to answer basic questions: 'Can it be climbed? Can it be dug under? Can it withstand cutting tools?'
Here are some questions and answers about the border wall project.
WHY WERE THE PROTOTYPES BUILT?
The US currently has 1,052 kilometres of single-layer fence along the 3,143km border plus 82km of double-and triple-layer fence. The government has chosen six companies to build models to guide future construction.
Each model is spaced about 9 metres apart a few steps from a fence made from old steel airstrip landing mats separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico.
Contractors were awarded between $US300,000 and $US500,000 for each model and had a month to build them.
WHAT DO THE PROTYPES LOOK LIKE?
Each reaches the maximum allowed height of 9m or close - significantly higher than existing walls.
The concrete walls are solid and cannot be seen through. Others are made of thick metal poles. Some are topped by round tubes, which are less vulnerable to grappling hooks than sharp edges.
One requirement is for the walls to be 'aesthetically pleasing' from the US side.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Trump has asked Congress for $US1.6 billion for the first instalment of his wall. It would replace 22.4km in San Diego and build 96km in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.
Three lawsuits - one filed by California's Democratic attorney general, Xavier Becerra - seek to block construction, claiming the administration overstepped its authority by waiving environmental reviews and other laws.
Sourced from skynews.com

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