Yates among ‘the wall’ prototypes

Donald Trump is not the first American president to suggest greater security is needed along the on the U.S.-Mexico border. The President has proposed building a wall to keep people from crossing illegally into the U.S. "The wall" project has made some progress despite political fit-throwing by Democrats. Trump wanted $25B while Congress has allocated $1.6B. The political wrangling has slowed the progress, but did not keep the President from whittling a list of 200 contractors down to a handful of firms that have submitted prototypes. Among the handful of prototypes come from three Gulf Coast-states’ companies: W.G. Yates & Sons Construction of Philadelphia, Miss.; Caddell Construction of Montgomery, Ala.; and Texas Sterling Construction of Houston. Prototypes were tested in January. A Customs and Border Protection report summarized a completed wall would likely be a Lego-like by-product of "combined elements of each, depending on the terrain." While the verdict is still out on the exact design, the wall will likely be at least 18 feet high and made from extremely durable material. Yates & Sons, Caddell, Texas Sterling, and Fisher Sand & Gravel of Arizona have submitted concrete designs. ELTA North America Inc. of Maryland – a partner with ELTA Systems Ltd., Israel’s leading defense firm - and KWR Construction of Arizona built models from other materials. In March, the President inspected progress of eight different prototypes. There have been no additional details as to which prototypes caught his eye. (Source: MultiBriefs.com 04/10/18)