President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington is expected to clear its final approval hurdle on Thursday, even as opponents race to a federal judge to stop construction before it starts.
The National Capital Planning Commission meets this afternoon to vote on the monument, planned for Memorial Circle at the foot of Arlington Memorial Bridge. The administration has told the court it could begin construction the same day.
The legal fight turns on whether the arch needs approval from Congress. Three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian sued, arguing that it does, under the Commemorative Works Act. Over the weekend, Washington, D.C., and Virginia filed their own lawsuit, calling the project “flagrantly unlawful.”
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is hearing both cases, ordered the government on Wednesday to notify the court within an hour of any decision by the planning commission and within 30 minutes of any construction activity.
The Commission of Fine Arts gave its final approval in May. A National Park Service review in August acknowledged the arch would have adverse effects on as many as 42 historic sites, including six near the structure.
The Park Service says the arch would honour the nation’s 250th anniversary. Trump has said he wants it finished before he leaves office in two years.
Source: CNN
