Trump administration plans excavation for proposed 250-foot arch near National Mall despite pending approvals
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that excavation for the Great Triumphal Arch will begin within two weeks, even though the project still lacks final clearance from the National Capital Planning Commission and other federal reviews, while plaintiffs seek a restraining order.
The White House announced on Thursday that excavation work for the proposed 250-foot Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck near the National Mall will start within the next two weeks, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s social-media post. The project, which would rise on Memorial Circle between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, has not yet received final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission and is still subject to federally required aviation-safety and historic-preservation reviews.
"Work will begin that does not require approval, but rather helps in the process," the White House said in a statement, adding that it will continue to seek final clearance from all applicable entities.
The administration’s timeline has been challenged in federal court by an architectural historian, three Vietnam-war veterans, and the nonprofit Public Citizen, who filed a lawsuit alleging the arch would desecrate the cemetery and require congressional authorization. On Friday the plaintiffs asked a judge for a 14-day restraining order to halt any construction activity on Memorial Circle.
"We have no sense of why the administration believes it is authorized to begin work on the arch," said Nicolas Sansone, the attorneys leading the case, describing the preparatory work as premature and lacking legal basis.
Critics, including Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, argue the monument would disrupt the historic sightline between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, exceed D.C.’s height limits, and raise safety concerns for nearby traffic and aircraft. The National Park Service recently reported that the arch would affect the historical significance of dozens of surrounding sites, though it affirmed the location’s “purpose and need.”
The administration also filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, citing a recent Supreme Court decision on a separate historic-preservation case involving the White House ballroom. Plaintiffs contend that the ruling does not address the underlying legality of the arch and that their case is grounded in concrete harms beyond symbolic opposition.
The legal dispute is expected to intensify as the excavation proceeds, with opponents warning that once construction begins, it will be difficult to reverse.