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NOGALES - It's been a little over two weeks and 40 military engineers from Alaska continue digging a new road for Border Patrol along the U.S. Mexico Border in Nogales.

'The terrain that you see behind me is fresh and we are building right on top of it, so they can access wherever they need to access to do their patrols, "Lieutenant, Michelle Zak said.

At the same time they said they're gaining some valuable training which will help them once they deploy overseas.

"We still have a lot more to do and we're learning every day," Zak said.

Soldiers said this is just the first of three phases that will need to be completed. The next group of military engineers to help out will be from Hawaii.

"Theres lots of layers and steps to complete a finished road, and so we just want to make sure we're leaving a good road for the next unit to come through and finish the work," Zak said.

Border Patrol Agents said before the construction started, it was very challenging to get through the terrain.

"Prior to these roads being maintained, it would have taken us anywhere from an hour to two hours, depending on the time of the year," Border Patrol Agent, Steven Passement said.

Agents say so far they like what they see and are grateful for all the soldiers' hard work.

"As the roads are created, it allows our agents to patrol further out to other areas that maybe we weren't able to access before. So we're gaining more control and more awareness of what our border is like," Passement said.