Work on President Donald Trump's border wall could begin as soon as September, and includes several projects in Texas.
Prototypes will soon be added to the existing border walls in San Diego. More than 200 companies have submitted bids.
Congress already approved $20 million for the initial phase of the project involving areas southern California and the Rio Grande Valley.
“We're placing 20 miles of primary vehicle barrier in El Paso. We're placing four miles of primary pedestrian barrier in El Paso and installing 35 new gates in the Rio Grande Valley. Gates that will cover current gaps in the infrastructure that is there now,” Ronald Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
President Trump's 2018 budget includes one-point-six-billion dollars for actual construction of the barrier.
“For FY18, CBP has prioritized 28 miles of new levee wall in Rio Grande Valley and 32 new miles of border wall in Rio Grande Valley,” says Vitiello.
“The Rio Grande Valley has been an area of exploitation and an area lacking in border infrastructure,” he says. “These miles will help connect existing segments of wall throughout the area and fill critical gaps.”