Politics
White House targets Nov. 5 start for 250-foot arch on National Mall
The Trump administration says construction on its proposed triumphal arch could begin Nov. 5, the same day a federal planning commission is scheduled to consider the project. The accelerated timeline would put work in motion while a lawsuit challenging the government’s authority to build there remains pending.
The Trump administration is preparing to start construction on a 250-foot triumphal arch on the National Mall as early as Nov. 5, according to a Justice Department filing in federal court Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The start date depends on approval from the National Capital Planning Commission at its Nov. 5 meeting, as well as authorization that day from the Interior Department and the National Park Service. If all three steps are completed, construction would begin immediately, the Justice Department told the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The timetable could move ahead before the court decides a lawsuit seeking to block the monument and challenging the administration’s authority to build it at the proposed location. The administration’s plan would significantly speed up the project despite that unresolved legal challenge.
The commission is responsible for reviewing plans for major construction in the nation’s capital. Its Nov. 5 decision will determine whether the project can proceed through that review, while the court case leaves the administration’s legal authority in dispute. The proposed structure would add a large new monument to the National Mall, a public space visited by residents and visitors from across the country.