North Dakota company awarded contract to build border wall in Yuma

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- A North Dakota company that has long claimed it can build a U.S.-Mexico border wall cheaper and faster than competitors has been awarded a contract to construct a portion of the structure in Yuma, Arizona.

U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer said Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a border wall contract to Fisher Sand and Gravel of Dickinson.

Fisher will receive nearly $270 million of a $400 million contract. Cramer says the contract will go toward designing and building physical barriers along about 31 miles (49.9 kilometers) of the southern border in Yuma.

North Dakota's Republican senators say the work will help secure the United States' border with Mexico.

Company President Tommy Fisher is a GOP supporter and has appeared on conservative media touting his company as the best pick for building the wall that President Donald Trump has made a priority.

The company unsuccessfully sued the government in April when it was not awarded a similar contract.

President Donald Trump made building a U.S.-Mexico border wall a priority during the 2016 campaign.

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