Border Fence Has Been In Place Somehow For Nearly Two Decades
EL PASO, Texas (AP) – It’s been more than 15 years since the first sections of steel fencing appeared at the U.S. border with Mexico.
Since then, more than 155 miles of noncontiguous fencing has been built in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Part of a series of legislation requiring enhanced security along the southern border.
There’s a broad mix of fencing along the southern border. They are:
Landing Mat: Army surplus carbon steel pieces once used to make landing strips. The fence sections are about 12-feet long, 20 inches wide and a inch thick. Each panel is welded to steel pipes buried eight feet deep every six feet. There are 62 miles of landing mat fencing in noncontiguous sections in California, Arizona and Texas. Sandia Secondary Fencing: In San Diego this second fence is a tightly woven steel structure about 10 to 14 feet tall. In recent years, however, sections of that fence have been retrofitted to stand about 14 feet high and straight up. Bollard: 15- to 18-foot concrete or steel tubes set inches apart. Picket Fencing: Metal stakes set inches apart. Vehicle Barriers: Five-foot steel tubes, filled with cement, designed to block cars from coming across the border.
The newest sections of fencing are required to be at least 15 feet high and able to withstand a crash from a 10,000-pound vehicle driving 40 miles per hour.
