US justice department says Trump's 76-metre arch won't be finished before term ends

Schedule set out in the filing

The US Justice Department told the court on Tuesday, 3 November, that the proposed triumphal arch, 76 metres (250 feet) high, would not be completed until after Donald Trump's second term ends. The department's schedule starts with six to eight months of excavation and foundation work, which could begin as soon as Thursday, 5 November, if the project wins approval. Above-ground construction would not start before May 2027, and total construction is estimated at 33 to 39 months.

The structure is modelled on Paris's Arc de Triomphe and would sit on a traffic roundabout close to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, just across the Potomac from the capital.

Excavation and foundation, low estimate6

Excavation and foundation, high estimate8

Total construction, low estimate33

Total construction, high estimate39

Excavation and foundation, low estimate

6 months

Excavation and foundation, high estimate

8 months

Total construction, low estimate

33 months

Total construction, high estimate

39 months

Data from the article text

Lawsuits and the judge's limits

Virginia and the District of Columbia sued on Saturday, 31 October, to halt construction. They argue that Congress has not authorised the arch and that it would breach the Height Act, which generally limits D.C. buildings to 130 feet. Three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian had already sued, saying the structure would damage the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

In a filing on Tuesday, 3 November, Justice Department lawyers asked a federal judge to dismiss the jurisdictions' case. They said some alleged harms, such as traffic disruption, were too speculative to support a claim, and they argued that federal projects like the arch should fall outside the Height Act. The government also asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to reject the bid to stop construction, saying the arch's height and location could help defend the capital from threats such as drones. Chutkan, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, has already placed strict conditions on the administration's plans.

Notice rules and the approval vote

On Monday, 2 November, Chutkan ordered the administration to notify her within one hour of any decision by the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service or the Department of the Interior. The same time limits cover the Park Service and the Interior Department. Her order also requires notice within thirty minutes of any work tied to the arch.

Her order reads in part:

“Defendants shall also provide notice within thirty minutes of any activity related to or in preparation for the construction of an arch on Memorial Circle.”

The government filed its 106-page plan on Friday, 30 October, and had notified the court of its plans on 28 October. The Planning Commission is due to vote on approval on Thursday, 5 November, and the Interior Department said in a court filing that it could issue a final decision the same day. The Park Service may also issue a permit or other authorization.

Design and wider plans

The plan describes a structure more than 12 stories high, with a large bronze statue of Lady Liberty holding a torch with an eternal flame. The Federal Aviation Administration found no aviation safety risk and said floodlights aimed at the arch would make it visible to pilots. Some have voiced fears about its closeness to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and its position within the airport's main approach and departure corridors.

The arch is one piece of a wider push by Trump to reshape the capital, including work on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, a golf course in East Potomac Park and his name on the US Institute of Peace.