HOW MUCH BORDER FENCE DOES $5.7 BILLION BUY?

Based on the cost of border barriers already completed, $5.7 Billion should just about seal the entire US-Mexico Border. According to a recent US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) briefing (slide above), between 2007 - 2009 (2 years) they built 400 miles of Border Barrier in support of US Customs and Border Protection at a total cost of $1.3B. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Cumulative Price Change since 2010 to today is 15.16% (yearly average inflation rate has been 1.78%). Doing the math that means $1.3B of 2009 dollars is ~$1.5B in 2019 dollars ($1,497,042,502.84 to be exact) so $5.7B should buy another 1523 miles of border wall. Given USACE has already built 400 miles, if Trump builds another 1523 miles then he should have 1923 miles completed. The entire United States and Mexico border is only 1954 miles so that leaves only 31 more miles to build to completely seal the US-Mexico border 100%.

All I did was take the briefing slide from the USACE briefing (the briefing is posted on the Army Engineer Association website under the August 2018 Industry Seminar) and extrapolate from the numbers there to estimate the cost. In the construction World, past experience or analogous estimating is a recognized method for estimating the cost of future work of similar scope but that number would be the contracting costs so would include any access roads but not land purchases nor would it account for significant differences in terrain.  I can’t speak to what other “experts” estimate, only how much the existing 400 miles of barrier actually cost. To be honest, I don’t contemplate all 1954 miles of border will require fencing nor do I expect the unfinished portions of barrier be as easy or inexpensive to construct as what has been completed.  I do believe the $50 - $70 Billion some Members of Congress are throwing around wildly exaggerate the cost and that the actually cost will be in $7 - $10 Billion range for what really requires fencing.  Just something to ponder.