Hudspeth County commissioners have approved an agreement allowing a major border wall contractor to use and improve two county roads leading to the Rio Grande, a decision that highlighted sharp divisions among West Texas residents over the Trump administration’s planned border wall in the Big Bend region.
The unanimous vote gives Montana-based Barnard Construction access to Indian Hot Springs Road and Bramlett Road in southern Hudspeth County. Under the agreement, the company must improve, maintain and ultimately restore the roads while complying with county oversight requirements.
County Commissioner Rusty Moore said the arrangement would benefit local residents by improving roads that are difficult and costly for the county to maintain.
The decision comes as federal plans for roughly 47 miles of border wall in the Big Bend region continue to advance despite lawsuits, environmental concerns and opposition from landowners, conservationists and local officials. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data cited during the debate, the region has accounted for about 2% of border apprehensions along the southern border so far this year.
The agreement follows a dispute in May and June when county officials ordered Barnard Construction to halt unauthorized work on Indian Hot Springs Road near Sierra Blanca. County Judge Joanna Mackenzie said the company has complied with county requirements since discussions with officials began.
The 54-page road use and improvement agreement requires Barnard Construction to provide engineering studies, liability and workers’ compensation insurance, and a surety bond to protect the county from potential damages. The company also must coordinate regularly with county officials and obtain permission from both the county and affected landowners before widening any roads.
Once construction activities are complete, the county will have 30 days to inspect the roads and identify any deficiencies that must be corrected.
Mackenzie said the county previously lacked a formal framework governing industrial use of county roads and described the agreement as a way to ensure taxpayers are not subsidizing heavy commercial traffic.
The approval marks a significant step forward for Barnard Construction, which has encountered resistance elsewhere in the region. Similar road-use negotiations remain unresolved in neighboring Jeff Davis and Presidio counties, while the Culberson County Groundwater Conservation District recently denied a request related to water supplies for a border wall workforce camp.
According to CBP, the first phase of construction is expected to begin with steel panel installation in September. The agency has projected completion of the approximately 47-mile segment by June 2027.
During a packed commissioners court meeting, residents offered sharply contrasting views on the project.
Supporters argued that road improvements would benefit local communities, shorten travel times and improve access for emergency services and law enforcement. Some residents said the border wall project is likely to proceed regardless of local opposition and that the county should secure infrastructure improvements while it can.
Others warned that cooperating with contractors would accelerate a project they believe threatens private property rights, wildlife migration, tourism and the region’s cultural and environmental resources.
Former county judge Becky Dean Walker said she opposes a border wall spanning the entire southern border but nevertheless supported the road agreement, arguing that the county should seek practical benefits from a project likely to move forward.
Opponents countered that the wall is not inevitable and criticized the use of eminent domain and environmental waivers associated with the project. Several speakers argued that outside contractors would profit from construction while local communities bear the long-term consequences.
Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West, who joined other border-county sheriffs earlier this year in expressing opposition to the Big Bend wall project, said his office has received a small number of complaints involving contractor activity but no formal criminal trespassing charges have been filed.
West said the project is likely to place additional demands on his department’s limited resources as construction expands.
“I’m sure we’re going to have more issues as this progresses,” West told Marfa Public Radio.
This article is based on reporting by Mary Cantrell of Marfa Public Radio.
