Excavation on Columbia Island is set to begin within two weeks for the Trump administration’s 250-foot Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum released renderings of a white-and-gold monument topped with a winged figure and the words “ONE NATION UNDER GOD,” casting it as a long-delayed memorial honoring Arlington Cemetery.
Three veterans and an architectural historian are suing to stop the project, arguing Congress never authorized it; their lawyer said they are prepared to ask the court to intervene before construction advances.
A 24-page National Park Service report issued last month backed the concept but said the arch would cause direct and indirect adverse effects on nearby historic sight lines.
The arch is part of a broader Trump building push that also includes a renamed Kennedy Center, a new White House ballroom and work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.