6 Notable Border Wall Ideas

The proposed designs for President Trump's border wall are in—and he's not likely to be happy with all of them. Though Customs and Border Protection isn't planning to reveal which ones made the first cut until June, some firms are sharing their plans in advance. Some notable ones, per Popular Mechanics and NPR:

• A medieval slope: San Diego Project Management has proposed a smooth, sloping wall with a ledge near the top. The ledge would not only make the wall nearly impossible to climb, it would give guards a vantage point.
• A wall of solar panels: The perk of this option is that the wall should "pay for itself" in about 20 years, a partner at Gleason Partners tells the AP. Each panel would produce about 2.0 megawatts of electricity per hour so as to power patrol stations nearby, the firm says.

• Roman-inspired: No surprise, the design from Hadrian Construction Company is inspired by a wall built by Roman emperor Hadrian. Its lightweight prefabricated panels would form a 30-foot wall in a zig-zag shape.
• Nuclear waste: An idea from Clayton Industries of Pittsburgh is a "Nuclear Waste Wall," which would feature trenches filled with, yes, nuclear waste. It would also have a 30-foot wall.
• Play a tune: The sure winner is JM Design Studio, which wants to line up 10 million 30-foot-tall pipe organs, leaving an open archway every 20 feet. "The only requirement is that every person who passes through must spend at least two minutes playing the organs," the company says.
• Make it pretty: Concrete Contractors Interstate wants the wall to be "a piece of art." It proposes setting stones and local artifacts in polished concrete along both sides of the wall.

Click for more designs, or see the wall's specifications. (More border wall stories.)