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Burgum: excavation in two weeks
The Trump administration announced plans to break ground on a 250-foot (76-meter) triumphal arch in Washington, despite legal challenges and the lack of final approval from a government planning authority, with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum saying excavation work would start "over the next two-week period."
“excavation work on the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck would start "over the next two-week period"”
Burgum said the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck would be built at Memorial Circle on Columbia Island between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, and the project is described as rising near Arlington National Cemetery, a military burial ground.
The arch is part of a broader effort by President Trump to leave an architectural mark on Washington, with projects including a new White House ballroom, renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and redevelopment of a golf course in East Potomac Park.
Opponents say the arch would destroy the cemetery's carefully designed historic sight line between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, and a lawsuit seeking to halt the project is pending before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.
The plaintiffs withdrew a request for a preliminary injunction after the government agreed to provide 14 days' notice before starting construction, but the project still had not received final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission.
Court fight and competing claims
The project continues to face a legal challenge, with ABC News reporting that a group of Vietnam veterans sued earlier this year and asked a federal judge to block construction, arguing the arch would obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery and can't be built without congressional authorization.
In a filing Thursday, the Trump administration argued the veterans' claims are "indistinguishable" from the one rejected by the high court's five-member majority earlier this week in the ballroom case, and the Justice Department also argued the plaintiffs lack standing and that the lawsuit is premature.
The veterans argued their suit is different than the ballroom case, writing that "Plaintiffs' injury is not based on the construction of something that gives them offense" but on the destruction of a landscape they regularly visit.
The Hill reported that it was not entirely clear from Burgum’s post whether excavation work itself was starting in two weeks or if the department was simply preparing for that work to start.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer said the arch is "plainly illegal without congressional authorization," linking the dispute to the broader pattern of Trump-backed projects drawing sharp Democratic criticism.
What’s at stake next
The National Park Service plans construction to take place 20 hours per day over the next two to three years, according to planning documents released by the Interior Department earlier this summer, while the arch is slated for a traffic circle near Arlington Memorial Cemetery and across the river from the Lincoln Memorial.
“The National Park Service plans to have construction take place 20 hours per day over the next two to three years”
The National Capital Planning Commission voted to approve the preliminary site and building plans for the arch in July after hours of public testimony against the project, but the commission had not yet approved the final design for the arch.
CBS News reported that the Federal Aviation Administration is still studying the project's impact on the congested D.C.-area airspace and collecting public comments, and an earlier study by the FAA found it would not have an adverse effect on the nearby airport.
In the meantime, the National Park Service acknowledged last month that the project could have some adverse impacts on the landscape, while the Department of Justice filed a new document on Thursday arguing the lawsuit should be thrown out.
The dispute also ties into other Washington projects, with Reuters noting the case pending before Judge Tanya Chutkan and ABC News describing the Supreme Court’s move earlier this week to allow continued construction of the White House ballroom.