Border Wall Built by Trump's Hand-Picked Contractor Is 'in Danger of Falling into the Rio Grande'

[SouthernCal_Dem]

By Jerry Lambe
Jul 2nd, 2020

A little-known North Dakota construction firm that was awarded the single largest border wall contract after its CEO effusively praised the president in a slew of conservative media appearances is now defending its product as experts warn the structure is in danger of collapsing, ProPublica and the Texas Tribune reported Thursday.

Several experts interviewed for the report said poor planning and shoddy engineering have left the wall “in danger of falling into the Rio Grande.”

The company, Fisher Sand & Gravel (FSG), in May was won a record-high $1.3 billion government contract to erect a portion of President Donald Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, despite FSG’s prototype being rejected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for lacking in both “quality” and “sophistication.”

As previously reported by Law&Crime, President Trump directly inserted himself into the process for evaluating and awarding government construction contracts, lobbying on behalf of FSG and the firm’s CEO Tommy Fisher. Fisher, who has made a number of Fox News guest appearances, reportedly sold Trump on his company by playing to his impatience with the lack of progress on his signature campaign promise, telling the president he could build the wall faster and cheaper than other contractors bidding on the project. Fisher has since described his design as the “Lamborghini” of walls.

Read more:
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/border-wall-built-by-trumps-hand-picked-contractor-is-in-danger-of-falling-into-the-rio-grande/

[lagomorph777]

1. No problem - Trump has already pocketed the kickback so he's good.

[dalton99a]

2. +1

Lamborghini, my ass

[keithbvadu2]

35. Donations! Donations!

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Perhaps GOD is saying something here...and of course the standard corruption all around of ...

course, by the time everyone pocketed a portion of this, and of that, not much was left over for the actual wall, so what was left collapsed.

[SoonerPride]

4. Of course it will collapse.

Like everything he’s ever slapped together it is shoddy and substandard.

Another boondoggle and waste of money.

[dawg day]

5. Already?

The Romans built walls 2000 years ago that are still in use. This one is failing in a year.

[Alacritous Crier]

13. Not to mention the Chinese.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

34. And the AFRICANS..ever heard of Zimbabwe? How 'bout the ANCIENT CHRISTIAN church called Lalibela

carved out of SOLID bedrock in Ethiopia & the lesser known TEMPLE OF YEHA, (500 BC) there? What about the pyramids of Sudan, aka NUBIA AND Egypt, (Which is an African Country in spite of what some want people to believe)? Ever heard of ADAM'S CALENDAR in Mpulamanga, South Africa, which is considered to be the OLDEST, (as in 75,000 year old) construction ON EARTH linked to the Human Race? What about the Larabanga Mosque, built in the Sudanese style in Mali, made of MUD or Adobe Bricks, founded in 1421?

Here's the thing, thump would FU a free BBQ...SMGDH

[Alacritous Crier]

36. Yes, I'm familiar with all of those. Good examples!

[littlemissmartypants]

38. Lalibela is one of the world's wonders and it took more than twenty years to build.

I imagine so many corners were cut building Trump’s wall it's a circle. A visit to Lalibela would be a dream destination, Trump’s wall, not so much. I definitely wouldn't trust him with fire or spicy BBQ. Maybe some banal mashed potatoes. 🙃

❤ lmsp

[ZenDem]

6. That's a common word surrounding Trump.

Collapse.

His Presidency.
His Wall.
His Life.
Our Country.

[Under The Radar]

7. The Wall is the ultimate monument of hate and prejudice that must be pulled down.

[Binkie The Clown]

8. You know what they call a wall that falls into a river?

A bridge.

[WinstonSmith4740]

25. Was thinking the same...

Wouldn't it be epic if when it fell it formed a bridge? It would be even better than this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=xtfe3Vtoh4c&feature=emb_logo

[Totally Tunsie]

26. +100

[lame54]

9. Nov. 3rd would be a fitting date for a collapse

[NCjack]

22. Mayby early October would be good. Let the MAGAts soak in their "glory" for a month. nt

[malaise]

10. Lock them up

RFN!

[Wounded Bear]

11. Is that the same bullshit company that got the contracts in PR after Maria?

Sounds familiar.

[niyad]

32. No, that was Whitefish electric (2employees) out of Whitefish MT, home

Of former Interior Sec. ryan zinke.

[Ohiogal]

12. Your Tax Dollars At Work

[Vogon_Glory]

14. "Something that does not love a wall

Hay algo que no quierre a un pared...

OK, it’s not Robert Frost, and it rarely, rarely even snows along the southern part of the Rio Grande, but something doesn’t like walls anyway...

[yellowcanine]

15. "Fisher has described his design as the Lamborghini of walls."

[lark]

16. Oh please, let it be so. I could use the laugh and it just gives Dems more ammo on his

utter incompetence and stupidity.

[smirkymonkey]

17. It's an omen.

It's all about to come crashing down around him.

[yellowcanine]

18. Funniest thing to happen since Mexicans stole the concertina wire

and installed it around their houses.

[coti]

19. $1.3 billion completely wasted. Awesome.

Honestly, it would have been completely wasted even if the wall stood up. But at least this removes all doubt.

[NCjack]

23. Has anyone told hoax-#45? I don't mean in a PDB -- but has someone actually

screamed into his ears the news of the cruddy job being done on the wall?

[fleur-de-lisa]

20. Jeebus.

More from the article:

But engineering experts and hydrologists told ProPublica that despite Fisher’s boasts, the wall was built too close to the Rio Grande river and is in serious danger of collapse, as photos show “a series of gashes and gullies” along the base of the structure that have severely weakened the structure’s foundation.

Under FSG’s design, the foundation for the wall’s steel bollards reach only 2.5 feet into the ground, less than one-third as deep as government usually requires. The shallow foundation combined with the rugged riverbank terrain is reportedly a recipe for disaster.

“When the river rises, it will likely attack those areas where the foundation is exposed, further weakening support of the fence and potentially causing portions … to fall into the Rio Grande,” Alex Mayer told ProPublica. Mayer is a University of Texas at El Paso civil engineer professor who has done research in the Rio Grande basin.

FSG’s attorney Mark Courtois told ProPublica that the erosion was “a normal part of new construction projects like this and does not in any way compromise the fence or associated roadway.” He added that FSG will seek to build drainage ditches to lessen the deterioration.

[William Seger]

29. Courtois says water in our Lamborghini is normal for new cars

He added that FSG will seek to install a windshield.

[CaptainTruth]

31. "the wall's steel bollards reach only 2.5 feet into the ground"

That's ridiculous! When I build 6 foot tall residential wood fences here in FL I set my posts in the ground 2.5 feet, in concrete.

And that's just a 6 ft tall residential fence in a yard, not a 20 ft tall (?) border wall.

Jesus, they are so bad at this. How did this design ever get approved?

Remember when part of the new bollard wall that was under construction blew over a few months ago? The temporary braces were totally inadequate & it made me wonder what building inspector signed off on the bracing system. I'm starting to believe that no one reviewed the design & nothing is being inspected.

Freaking amateurs.

[lpbk2713]

21. For future reference ...

If the rickety fence goes in the river it will be a hazard to navigation.

How to report same: https://mariners.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2018/08/02/8-2-2018-do-you-know-how-to-report-waterway-hazards/

[NRaleighLiberal]

24. somebody go give it a push!

[Totally Tunsie]

27. The perfect photo op: Chump autographing this section of the wall;

the wall responds by falling into the river.

I'd like an 8X10 of that, please!

[DFW]

28. The Lamborghini of walls

Too bad it turned out to be as stable as the tortellini of walls. Probably didn't taste anywhere nearly as good, either.

[Alwaysna]

30. Everything he touches turns to shit!

[niyad]

33. From what I understand, about 200miles of wall/barrier have been replaced, and THREE miles of actua

New, not-previously existing barrier have been constructed. I remuneration hearing some time ago about sections of newly-worked on sections falling into the river. Frankly, I was hoping that the Mexicans would recycle it all, but the bridge image is wonderful!

[keithbvadu2]

37. Trump wall falling over, almost into the street.

Trump wall falling over, almost into the street.


https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=trump+wall+falling+into+mexican+street


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