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San Diego set to receive 28 miles of new border wall

Posted at 2:38 PM, Mar 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-30 17:38:49-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Border officials say they have received enough funding to replace 100 miles of border fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Trump Administration will put forth about $1.6 billion through the 2018 Congressional appropriations.  The new border wall provides a comprehensive system of wall, lighting, and technologies, Acting Commissioner Ronald Vitiello said during a press conference Friday.

In San Diego, a total of 28 miles of border barrier will be replaced. Fourteen miles of "dilapidated" border wall constructed with landing mats will be replaced with new steel bollard wall, according to Vitiello. Another 14 miles of secondary barrier inside San Diego will also be replaced.

RELATED: President Trump says San Diego 'desperately' wants a border wall while touring prototypes

In Calexico, officials are on schedule to build a new 30-foot high wall, replacing two miles of pedestrian barrier, Vitiello said.

"We appreciate this down payment for our needs," Vitiello told reporters but added the appropriations do not fully fund their needs in other critical locations.

The wall system being installed will not utilize the prototypes President Donald Trump recently visited the San Diego area to inspect. Instead, the replacement walls will use design standards that have already been approved.

RELATED: Trump suggests US military foot the bill forborderwall

Border officials are in the process of developing new design standards from the eight prototypes built in Otay Mesa. It's not clear when those standards will be established.

"We've learned a lot from the prototyping process," Vitiello said. "Those attributes in some of those prototypes will be apart of a new design standard."