WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum this week announced the start of construction of a 250-foot-tall Triumphal Arch across the Potomac River from the capital, despite criticism from the local House member and a pending lawsuit against the project.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks June 30 at the ceremonial reopening of Freedom Plaza with new statues, including one of controversial founding father and slave owner Caesar Rodney, in Washington.
Burgum said excavation would begin during the next two weeks at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery.
“This will be one of the Great Pieces of American Architecture, honoring the history and significance of Arlington Cemetery and befitting the most powerful Capital in the World,” he said Thursday on social media.
The arch is one of multiple projects Trump proposed that will change Washington's landscape. Other projects include a White House granite helipad, a new ballroom, renovations at the Kennedy Center and an overhauled Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial.
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Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, opposed the arch project, which he called illegal and narcissistic. He argued that the project would significantly increase traffic problems in the region.
“Burgum and the Trump Administration are disregarding the risks and rushing this towering monument to Trump’s vanity because they believe Republicans will get crushed in November," Beyer said. “This project is not even close to being ready for prime time."
An artist's rendering of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed 'Independence Arch'
A lawsuit is pending against the arch. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan hasn’t decided whether to block the project, but in April she ordered the National Park Service to provide two weeks' notice before "commencement of construction, or demolition in preparation for construction, of an arch on Memorial Circle."
A group of three veterans and a historian filed a lawsuit in February opposed to the arch and argued that Congress hadn't authorized it. The opponents said the arch would be larger than the Lincoln Memorial and disrupt the view across Memorial Bridge to the cemetery, which was designed to represent the unification of the country after the Civil War.
The National Capital Planning Commission approved preliminary site and building plans for the arch on July 9.
The Interior Department said the arch would "celebrate the triumphs of the American people, inspire patriotism and love of country, and beautify the nation’s capital."
The National Park Service, which governs land for the arch, supported the project in a report Aug. 28 despite finding that it would negatively affect the views of other monuments and historic sites in Washington.
The arch would "celebrate 250 years of American independence by honoring America’s founding principles,” the report said, and would be "consistent with the avenue's established role as a ceremonial gateway and 'Avenue of Heroes' celebrating valor, sacrifice, and American heritage.”
Congress and commissions planned for a monument at the site for more than 125 years, according to Burgum. The Senate's McMillan Commission called for “a concourse suited to memorial treatment be established” at the west end of Memorial Bridge, he said.
