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Construction to begin soon on taller White House fence

The White House is getting a new fence, almost double its current height, to help keep intruders out

The fence surrounding the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Friday, May 24, 2019. Approval was given for a new and taller fence around the White House complex in 2017 and now construction of a almost 13-foot tall fence is slated to begin this summer.
The fence surrounding the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Friday, May 24, 2019. Approval was given for a new and taller fence around the White House complex in 2017 and now construction of a almost 13-foot tall fence is slated to begin this summer.Read moreSusan Walsh / AP

WASHINGTON — The White House is getting a new 13-foot fence, almost double its current height, to help keep intruders out.

The Secret Service says the $64 million construction project will soon begin on what eventually will be a 13-foot, 1-inch (3.96-meter) fence, including wider and stronger pickets.

The existing fence stands about 6-feet, 6 inches (1.83-meters) tall.

The Secret Service, which provides security protection for the president and the White House, declined to provide details of the state-of-the-art security features it says will be part of the new barrier.

Officials concluded that a taller fence was needed after a series of breaches of White House security, including in September 2014, when a Texas man carrying a knife scaled the fence, sprinted across the North Lawn and entered the White House.