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Excavation set to begin on Trump's 250-foot triumphal arch amid legal battle
Confirmed
In Short: Excavation work will begin over the next two weeks on a site where the Donald Trump administration plans to build a tall memorial arch in Washington, D.C., a project that faces a lawsuit from opponents who argue the
Excavation work will begin over the next two weeks on a site where the Donald Trump administration plans to build a tall memorial arch in Washington, D.C., a project that faces a lawsuit from opponents who argue the project will disrupt nearby historic sight lines.
Construction crews could begin the excavation process for what will be President Donald Trump ’s massive 250-foot-tall arch in as soon as the next two weeks, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on Thursday.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced Thursday that work would start on the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck, which will be located on Columbia Island, standing between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
The project faces opposition from three veterans and an architectural historian who argued that "congressional authorization is necessary and lacking for this project," said Nicolas Sansone, an attorney with the Public Citizen Litigation Group representing the plaintiffs.
The secretary noted that more than 70 cities, including Athens, London, Madrid, New Delhi, Paris and Rome showcase arches.
He cited attempts by past Congresses and old reports about discussions of the construction of a memorial.
“We are pleased to announce that after a very long wait (over 125 years!), we are preparing to start, over the next two-week period, the excavation work necessary for the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck,” Doug Burgum said in a social media post.
"Interestingly, Washington, DC, is the only major Western capital without an arch," Doug Burgum wrote.
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- "We believe that construction cannot and should not proceed apace, and we are prepared to inform the court that it needs to, at this juncture, step in," Sansone told The Associated Press.