January 26, 2017
By Kate Drew
...According to a Government Accountability Office 2009 report, (click here) the cost to build 1 mile of fencing at the border averaged between $2.8 million and $3.9 million. But that figure may be low relative to costs for future sections of the wall. It's based only on the first 220 miles fenced and does not include other factors, such as topography, transportation logistics in harder-to-reach areas (i.e. road-building and earth and drainage work), labor costs, land acquisition costs and surveillance equipment.
By Kate Drew
...According to a Government Accountability Office 2009 report, (click here) the cost to build 1 mile of fencing at the border averaged between $2.8 million and $3.9 million. But that figure may be low relative to costs for future sections of the wall. It's based only on the first 220 miles fenced and does not include other factors, such as topography, transportation logistics in harder-to-reach areas (i.e. road-building and earth and drainage work), labor costs, land acquisition costs and surveillance equipment.
"The first miles of fencing were in the easiest" places, said Marc Rosenblum, deputy director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute. These were fencing areas in or close to cities and accessible transportation, rather than deep in deserts or mountains. Additionally, the first miles were on public lands, while completing a border wall would require the government to acquire land from private holders. The GAO estimate for one difficult section of fencing near San Diego was $16 million....
I'd like to see the future savings,but, I also want to see the cost of MAINTENANCE as well. The Wall will become an anchor to the federal budget because of maintenance costs and further measures to stop the cartels.
I can't imagine the savings a wall would create. A water station in the desert of the USA cost a lot less, including the loyalty of the Undocumented to the USA that contributes to the economy.
The cost estimates above are 2009 dollars and the maintenance is not yet known or even estimated. The cartels will be blasting the darn thing into oblivion. On the Mexican side of the border, who is going to stop them?
The cost estimates above are 2009 dollars and the maintenance is not yet known or even estimated. The cartels will be blasting the darn thing into oblivion. On the Mexican side of the border, who is going to stop them?
