U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday began replacing deteriorated border fencing near Friendship Park, but promised the park and binational garden will be preserved.
Plans call for new primary and secondary fencing to be installed, with the height reduced from 60 feet to 18 feet adjacent to the park.
“The replacement of the primary and secondary fencing in the Friendship Park area will provide much needed improvements to the border infrastructure and will allow visitors on the U.S. side to access the park once construction is complete,” the CBP said.
The government faced a local outcry when initial plans called for eliminating the gates at Friendship Park that allow families on both sides of the border to meet.
Replacement of the fencing is expected to take six months.
CBP has promised that when construction is complete the park will be open for “a minimum of two days each month.”
