Controversial Border Concrete Barrier and Fence to be Constructed by Governor Abbott in Eagle Pass
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
The State of Texas under Governor Gregg Abbott has awarded a $25 million contract to a private contractor to build a controversial two-mile long concrete barrier and fence in Eagle Pass, Texas along state-owned right of way on Loop 480 just south of the Eagle Pass International Bridge No. 2 and the Union Pacific Railroad International Bridge near the banks of the Rio Grande River.
The hefty $25 million price-tag of the two-mile long border concrete barrier and fence is being built as part of Abbott’s Lone Star Operation project to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants and drugs from entering and crossing through the state of Texas.
The proposed land for this controversial project has already been cleared and readied for construction through the environmental sensitive land near the banks of the Rio Grande that is home to hundreds of fauna and wildlife species. It is unknown if the State of Texas will be required to obtain environmental impact statements from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other state agencies.
According to Texas officials, the controversial border concrete barrier and fence is expected to be completed in December 2021 at an extraordinary cost of $12.5 million per mile, causing many Texans to comment that such a project is a “waste of taxpayers funds.” One Eagle Passan lamented that Texans are being forced to pay for Abbott’s Border Concrete Barrier and Fence to promote his political re-election campaign for 2022 and aspirations to seek the Republican National Party’s Presidential Nomination in 2024.
Immediately across Loop 480 where the controversial concrete border barrier and fence is going to be built are densely populated subdivisions in Eagle Pass, including Loma Bonita, La Herradura, Balcones Heights, Coronado Estates, Eagle Heights, Las Brisas, Eidson Road, and others.
The $25 million of state funds to build this border concrete barrier and fence are coming from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintenance division.
One Eagle Passan stated that with those same $25 million the Texas Department of Transportation could complete Loop 480 from U.S. Highway 57 to U.S. Highway 277 North, which TxDOT has not funded and left the Loop 480 project incomplete.
Eagle Pass and Maverick County leaders have been told by TxDOT and state leaders that there are no funds available to complete the construction of Loop 480 and that it might be many years before those funds become available. Yet, there are state funds to build a totally wasteful and controversial border concrete barrier and fence on Loop 480.
