Construction on Trump’s 250-foot triumphal arch in DC could begin in just two weeks

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/File

The Trump administration told a judge Wednesday evening that construction on the president’s controversial 250-foot triumphal arch could begin in just two weeks, days after the midterm elections.

The Justice Department said in Wednesday’s court filing that the National Capital Planning Commission is set to meet on November 5 and could sign off on final plans for the arch that day — and with final authorization from the Department of the Interior — “construction could commence as early as November 5, 2026.”

The administration last week released final plans for the arch — one of President Donald Trump’s pet construction projects in the nation’s capital. Wednesday night’s court filing comes in one of the lawsuits seeking to stop the arch’s construction.

Notably, the plans released last week excluded key features of a military complex including drones and snipers that Trump has used as justification for the much-criticized project. In the plans, the contours of the arch do not appear to reflect a national security purpose. Instead, they describe the project as a “ceremonial gateway” to the nation’s capital.

Trump announced in September that the arch would store large numbers of drones and function as a post for military snipers, with a large cache of ammunition. While the plans submitted last week don’t include the military components Trump described, the structure still might feature them.

The massive arch would sit directly across from Arlington National Cemetery where nearly 430,000 service members, veterans and their family members are buried. Veterans suing to stop its construction argue the towering structure would break the solemnity of funerals at the cemetery, while preservationists argue it would disrupt the sightline of the row of national landmarks that includes the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington House and the Robert E. Lee Memorial.

An Interior Department spokesperson told CNN over the weekend that the structure will “enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike.”

The proposed arch is among several projects Trump is pursuing in an effort to remake the nation’s capital to his own personal liking, prompting legal battles from preservationists and others. The idea of the arch being needed for national security purposes mirrors an argument Trump has made for building a White House ballroom where the East Wing once stood.

Aleena Fayaz and Sunlen Serfaty contributed to this report.

凯文迪奇/盖蒂图片社/文件

特朗普政府周三晚间告诉一位法官，总统备受争议的 250 英尺高的凯旋门的建设工作可能在短短两周内开始，也就是中期选举几天后。

美国司法部在周三提交的法庭文件中表示，国家首都规划委员会将于 11 月 5 日召开会议，并可能在当天批准拱门的最终计划——如果获得内政部的最终授权——“最早可在 2026 年 11 月 5 日开始施工”。

上周，政府公布了拱门的最终设计方案——这是唐纳德·特朗普总统在首都华盛顿重点建设的项目之一。周三晚间提交的法庭文件是旨在阻止拱门建设的诉讼之一。

值得注意的是，上周公布的规划方案中并未包含特朗普曾用来为这项备受诟病的项目辩护的军事设施的关键要素，例如无人机和狙击手。规划方案中，拱门的轮廓似乎并未体现任何国家安全目的。相反，方案将该项目描述为通往美国首都的“礼仪性门户”。

特朗普在9月份宣布，这座拱门将用于存放大量无人机，并作为军事狙击手的哨所，同时储备大量弹药。虽然上周提交的方案中并未包含特朗普所描述的军事设施，但该建筑最终可能仍会包含这些设施。

这座巨大的拱门将矗立在阿灵顿国家公墓的正对面，那里安葬着近43万名现役军人、退伍军人及其家属。一些退伍军人提起诉讼，试图阻止拱门的建造，他们认为这座高耸的建筑会破坏公墓葬礼的庄严肃穆；而文物保护人士则认为，它会遮挡包括林肯纪念堂、阿灵顿故居和罗伯特·E·李纪念碑在内的一系列国家地标的视线。

美国内政部发言人周末告诉 CNN，该建筑将“提升退伍军人、阵亡将士家属以及所有美国人在阿灵顿国家公墓的参观体验”。

拟建的拱门是特朗普为按照自己的喜好改造首都而推进的多个项目之一，引发了文物保护人士和其他人士的法律诉讼。修建拱门是出于国家安全考虑的说法，与特朗普此前为在原东翼旧址上建造白宫宴会厅提出的论点如出一辙。

Aleena Fayaz 和 Sunlen Serfaty 对本报告做出了贡献。