EMBED >More News Videos Companies created potential designs for the border wall

EMBED >More News Videos The federal government said Tuesday that contractors began building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico.

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Tuesday that he was authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to spend up to $1 billion to build 57 miles of fencing, roads and lighting near Yuma and El Paso.The Pentagon has given out those contracts in that amount to two companies, including SLSCO Ltd., in Galveston.SLSCO was awarded a $789,000,000 firm fixed-price contract for border replacement wall construction.Work will be performed with an estimated completion date of Oct. 1, 2020.Barnard Construction Co. Inc., of Bozeman, Montana, was the other company awarded an $187,000,000 contract for their design-bid-build construction project for primary pedestrian wall replacement.