US awards 3 Texas border wall contracts worth $812.6 million

DALLAS (AP) — - The U.S. government has awarded three contracts worth more than $812.6 million for construction of about 65 miles of new border wall along the lower Rio Grande in South Texas.

In a statement issued Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say the contracts were awarded Sunday to two contractors. The wall projects are to include steel bollard walls of 18-to-30 feet in height, all-weather roads, lighting, security cameras and other technology in 19 separate segments in Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties.

The statement says the walls will go up, starting early next year, where none now exist but not in areas prohibited under the CBP's 2019 appropriation. The sector is the CBP's busiest, accounting for about 40 percent of its immigrant apprehensions.