COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — The shipping containers along the Arizona-Mexico border are now officially coming down.
One section of the makeshift border barrier stretches for about four miles in the Coronado National Forest in Cochise County, south and west of Sierra Vista.
KGUN 9 got an up-close view of the progress on Thursday. Two truck convoys were seen driving north along the forest’s winding and bumpy dirt roads, towards Sonoita. About 15 containers were moved out in the early afternoon.
Meanwhile, other equipment moved containers away from the border and staged them in an area to be picked up.
A contract for the removal project reveals the state will pay more than $57 million to AshBritt, a management and logistics contractor. That contract also specifies that the containers along this section of the border will use a “final resting location at Tucson Jail,” with the project taking an estimated 60 days to complete.
The Center for Biological Diversity sent a copy of the contract to KGUN.
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Then-governor Doug Ducey signed off on the container border wall in the fall, saying the federal government wasn’t doing enough to stop migrants from crossing illegally.
But after the U.S. government sued for trespassing on federal land, Ducey agreed to take the containers down in his final days in office.
Environmentalists were outraged by the container wall, saying it disturbs and destroys animal habitats and the natural ecosystem of the border area.
“To see this happening is great,” said Kate Scott, who protested the initial container wall construction. “Trash leaving our public lands. Should’ve never been here.”
In nearby Sierra Vista—some say the containers may not be the answer but would like to see some kind of barrier along the empty stretches of the border.
“I think it needs to be improved, but as far shipping containers, I feel like it’s a little outlandish. Kind of excessive,” said Lily Spear, who works in Sierra Vista. “I do think [a barrier is] a good thing to keep in place. I mean it is a border for a reason.”
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the immediate construction area is closed to the public through March 15 for safety reasons. A spokesperson for the Forest Service says there are plans to host weekly media tours of the construction area to update the public on progress.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.