An agreement has been reached between two Texas state agencies allowing for the construction of additional border wall between the state and Mexico.
The Texas State General Land Office has announced that it has come to terms with the state’s Department of Public Safety on a plan for the construction.
Governor George Abbott, who earlier this year said he wanted to build in parts of Texas, including El Paso, still lacking a wall, said the first segment of the wall project is set to begin in Starr County, near the southern tip of the state.
The land for the first portion of the wall project is owned by the Land Office.
In September Abbott gave his approval to legislation providing nearly $2 billion in state funding for border wall security. Of that amount, roughly $750 million was allotted to the building of border wall structures ranging from concrete barriers to simple fencing.
Another $250 million was earlier appropriated by the state for the project, on top of some $54 million raised through private donations.
Altogether, the Governor has said that there is just over 730 miles or border between Texas and Mexico, or roughly half of the total 1,250-mile border, in need of some type of new barrier.
Wall construction under the Trump Administration spanned just over 450 miles, with 131 miles built in El Paso County and Hudspeth County directly to the west.
According to reports, portions of the barrier will be comprised of repurposed shipping containers, while the rest will see the use of razor wire.
By Garry Boulard