Half were dismissed within five months of the opening of the border.[36] The border was abandoned and the Grenztruppen were officially abolished on 1 July 1990;[3] all but 2,000 of them were dismissed or transferred to other jobs. The Bundeswehr gave the remaining border guards and other ex-NVA soldiers the task of clearing the border fortifications, which was only completed in 1994. The scale of the task was immense, as not only did the fortifications have to be cleared but hundreds of roads and railway lines had to be rebuilt.[37] An additional complication was caused by the presence of mines along the border.