Trump border wall: Construction begins on 8 border wall prototypes in Otay Mesa - TomoNews

OTAY MESA, CALIFORNIA — Construction began on prototype designs for a border wall in a fenced-off area in Otay Mesa on Tuesday. Eight different designs will be constructed over the next 30-days, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Four of the prototypes will be concrete, while the other four will be made of various materials. All of the walls will be between 18 to 30 feet high and 30 feet long, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Six contractors from across the country have been chosen to build the prototypes. Bids for the prototypes ranged from $300,000 to $500,000. The construction site is about 1.5 miles east of Erico Fermi Drive. It is several miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, reported the San Diego Union-Tribune. The border wall project is underway despite lack of congressional funding. Estimates for the cost of the border wall have ranged up to $38 billion. The Department of Homeland Security is planning to pay for the prototypes with internal funds taken from other programs.