ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - About half of a 66-mile (106-kilometer) portion of a new border wall system is completed in southern New Mexico that is replacing vehicle barriers and other blockades already in place, border officials said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Roger Maier said about 30 miles (48 kilometers) of the 18-to-30-foot (5-to-9-meter) tall bollard wall is completed, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Another 36 miles (58 kilometers) of the project through Dona Ana and Luna counties is expected to be completed in the coming months, he said.
Future construction includes “a combination of both – in place of existing, and in locations where no barriers currently exist,” Maier said, adding that another 90 miles (145 kilometers) of wall in the state is in the pre-construction phase.
The newly constructed wall is part of a larger $15 billion plan to build 753 miles (1212 kilometers) along the U.S.-Mexico border to replace existing barriers or be placed in areas where there are no barriers, agency officials said.
The plan includes building 348 miles (560 kilometers) combined of primary and secondary wall in areas where no barriers currently exist, and 405 miles (652 kilometers) of wall where barriers are dilapidated and outdated.
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