New Construction Starts on Texas-Funded Border Wall

State recently purchased private ranch, seeking to build 1.5-mile wall segment adjoining one funded by US government

Border wall sections being erected by the Texas Facilities Commission in Cameron County, Texas in 2023.

Photo courtesy of Texas Facilities Commission

After purchasing late last month a 1,402-acre ranch along the Rio Grande in Starr County, Texas, the state's General Land Office is set to enable construction of a new 1.5-mile segment of state-funded border wall, agency Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said. The planned section is near where Texas completed a 1.7-mile section in 2022 and where federally funded segments were built during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration.

A statement released by the state said, "Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border." Texas has built 34 miles of border wall in six counties after the Biden Administration halted federal construction in 2021, according to media reports.

In a Nov. 19 letter to the incoming Trump administration, Buckingham offered to lease space on the property to the federal government for an immigration enforcement facility. The land office said the purchase price of the ranch was just less than $4 million.

The property’s location makes it "crucial" for enhanced border security, and placement of a border wall, said a land office announcement. Buckingham said the agency will "partner" with the state to "secure this section of Starr County by building a fortified 1.5-mile wall." Previously appropriated funds would be used to install the barrier, she said.

Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy said materials onsite were steel bollard wall sections similar to the federal wall. The new wall would be 30 ft high, according to media reports.

The Texas Facilities Commission approved five contracting items in September 2023 for the Texas Border Infrastructure Program. These included not-to-exceed contracts of $85 million to Posillico Civil Inc; $82 million to Southwest Valley Contractors Co., a unit of Kiewit Corp.; $69 million to Fisher Sand and Gravel Co.; and $150 million to BFBC of Texas, a unit of Barnard Construction. All of the firms had previously received federal border wall construction contracts and Fisher also built separate privately funded wall sections in Texas.

The Biden administration said in October 2023 that it would restart border wall construction in Starr County and other areas along the Rio Grande with money set aside in the first Trump administration, but no new federal construction has taken place to date other than placement of temporary jersey barriers.

The administration also auctioned off construction materials purchased during the first Trump term.

In August, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) won a court battle barring the Biden government from redirecting federal wall funding for other uses.

ENR Associate Technology, Equipment and Products Editor Jeff Yoders has been writing about design and construction innovations for 20 years. He is a five-time Jesse H. Neal award winner and multiple ASBPE winner for his tech coverage. Jeff previously wrote about construction technology for Structural Engineer, CE News and Building Design + Construction. He also wrote about materials prices, construction procurement and estimation for MetalMiner.com. He lives in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, where the pace of innovation never leaves him without a story to chase.

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