The US administration is considering plans to rebuild the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, one of which involves spending over 2 billion USD, the American portal Axios reported.

As the publication notes, in May of this year, President Donald Trump ordered the prison to be restored and reopened to house “America’s most ruthless and violent criminals.” According to sources, the head of state has not yet made a final decision on the future of the island in San Francisco Bay.

According to the portal, the American authorities are working on three possible scenarios. The first involves the creation of a prison complex for especially dangerous criminals worth more than 2 billion USD. Its implementation will require the complete demolition of all dilapidated buildings on the island and the construction of the facility from scratch.

The second option involves building a smaller prison that would cost about 1 billion USD and would not occupy the entire island.

The third plan, which sources say is the least likely, would involve a tender among private companies specializing in prison infrastructure to build and then maintain the facility.

Alcatraz was built in the mid-XIX century as a fortification and converted into a federal prison for the most dangerous criminals in 1934. During the nearly 30 years of the facility's operation, 36 prisoners attempted to escape, but none of them succeeded.

The prison was closed in 1963 due to high operating costs and infrastructure problems. The island is now a popular tourist destination, with around 1,5 million visitors each year.