SAN DIEGO • The Biden administration agreed to lower part of a border wall planned in the southwest corner of the continental United States, advocates said Thursday, dismissing the concession as a token gesture.

Opposition prompted a construction pause in August at Friendship Park, which was inaugurated in 1971 by then-first lady Pat Nixon as a symbol of ties between the U.S. and Mexico. For decades, visitors to the oceanfront park between San Diego and Tijuana could easily converse and touch, but access gradually diminished from the U.S. over the last 15 years.

After public feedback, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agreed to lower a double wall for 60 feet, about the length of a tractor-trailer, said the Rev. John Fanestil of Friends of Friendship Park. In that section, the height will dip to 18 feet from 30 feet.

CBP didn’t respond to questions about the revised design. But it said in a news release Tuesday that it “developed an approach that meets the border security needs of the area while also addressing feedback from the community.” It expects construction to resume early this year and take about six months to complete.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas approved the changes, Fanestil said he was told by CBP officials.