Thread: Border fence in Nogales to be taller, see-through

Border fence in Nogales to be taller, see-through

by Dennis Wagner -
Apr. 13, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The federal government is about to build what it says is a bigger and better fence between the twin cities of Nogales, enhancing security along a 2.8-mile stretch of urban border.

Colleen Agle, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the new 18-foot-tall fence with see-through features will replace an older barricade that obscures cross-border vision and is up to 5 feet shorter in some areas.

"This is our newest generation of fencing," she said. "It's incredibly tall, with a plate on top of it."

Agle said rock-throwing incidents have been a serious problem along the Arizona-Sonora line in Nogales, and the old fencing, made with landing mats salvaged from aircraft carriers, made it impossible for Border Patrol agents to spot assailants. She said the new barrier, with metal mesh between poles, will allow agents to see and pre-empt attacks by contacting Mexican police with locations of suspects.

The CBP says the new fence's deeper foundation and greater height also will make it more difficult to breach. The project is scheduled for completion in September. Congress has mandated 652 miles of fencing along the border. According to the CBP, 650 miles have been completed.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... ments.html