Planners Approve Design for Taller White House Fence

Uniformed Secret Service officers walk along the fence on the North side of the White House in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014. The Secret Service is coming under intense scrutiny after a man who hopped the White House fence made it all the way through the front door before being apprehended. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A planning agency has approved the design of a taller, stronger fence around the White House.

The Secret Service says Thursday’s approval by the National Capital Planning Commission means the agency can move forward with contracting to build the new fence.

The changes were proposed after a series of people managed to scale the current 7-foot-tall barrier. In the most serious security breach, a man got over the fence in 2014 and ran deep inside the White House while carrying a folding knife before he was caught. No one was injured.

The new metal fence will be 11 feet, 7 inches tall, and the Secret Service says it will have “anti-climb and intrusion detection technology.” The agency has not disclosed its cost.

Construction is expected to begin next year.