Trump’s Border Wall Lurches Closer to Schedule

The U.S. has built roughly 50 miles of primary border wall along the southern border, 5.5 miles of buoy barriers in the water and 13.2 miles of secondary barriers, Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott told Congress on Thursday.

Why it matters: The $46 billion project has been stalled by contracting issues and community resistance. But Scott told Congress the effort is now “ahead of schedule and we’re below budget.”

By the numbers: The agency anticipated that it could build about 10 miles of wall per week, according to an interview with the Washington Examiner.

Scott’s figures show progress closer to about 3.5 miles constructed per week since early-February.

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It took months for the first contracts to be awarded, and the project met further delays because of additional reviews implemented by then-Secretary Kristi Noem for all spending over $100,000.

The contract oversight policy delayed about 200 miles of border wall earlier this year.

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