Another week and yet another purpose discovered for shipping containers.
I did not see this one coming but it seems that used conex boxes have found a new purpose in addition to everything else.
According to Freight Waves, Gov. Abbot of Texas has begun using shipping containers to fill the gaps in the border wall between Mexico and Texas in Eagle Pass.
Abbot and the State of Texas are not trying to string together a contiguous wall of conex boxes but rather strategically place the containers in places that will funnel the migrants into areas where there are more border agents.
“we began dropping these large containers that you see on 18 wheelers … we’re dropping them down on locations that could be crossings that would be used by these caravans to serve as a blockade to prevent them from becoming across the border”
This is part of a bill that Abbott signed on September 16, 2021 for almost $1.8 billion in funding for border security.
It’s not clear at this point how many containers they plan to use and how this will impact the market for conex boxes regionally and nationally.
Abbot is definitely not the first one to come up with the idea of using used containers at the border.
In 2016 when “the wall” was the hot topic of the year, a Miami architecture firm designed a border wall concept using used conex boxes.
Check out the slideshow here or click on the image below.
I have to admit, the photos of the repurposed shipping containers look quite chic. Can you imagine if the border wall turned into a …. tourist attraction?