BROWNSVILLE, Wis. (AP) - A Dodge County construction company is the lone Wisconsin firm bidding on the federal government’s call for designing and building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Brownsville-based Michels Corp. is answering the government’s early call for bids to build a wall spanning the roughly 2,000-mile border, the Fond du Lac Reporter (https://fondul.ac/2lDqpT0 ) reported.
About 265 firms had responded to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s pre-solicitation for bids to build the wall as of Wednesday, according to the Federal Business Opportunities website.
Michels Corp. chief legal counsel David Stegeman declined to comment on the company’s interest in the project.
The Government Accountability Office estimates that it would cost on average $6.5 million a mile for a fence to keep out people who try to enter on foot and $1.8 million a mile for vehicle barriers. The price tag will depend largely on the height, materials and other specifications that have not yet been defined
The company has worked on numerous government projects. It recently won a $6.3 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract to remove a dam and restore sections of a river near Traverse City, Michigan.
Michels has also worked along the border. The company installed a 2,400-foot gas pipeline under the Rio Grande River, which lines the border between Mexico and Texas, in 2014.
Michels has more than 30 locations across the U.S. and Canada, and employs more than 5,000 workers. It specializes in construction of oil and gas networks, transportation infrastructure and deep foundations, among other projects.
The firm’s co-owner, Tim Michels, unsuccessfully challenged former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold for his congressional seat in 2004.
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Information from: The Reporter Media, https://www.fdlreporter.com
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