The Trump administration announced that work on the Triumphal Arch is officially underway.
“We are pleased to announce that after a very long wait (over 125 years!), we are preparing to start, over the next two-week period, the excavation work necessary for the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck, at Memorial Circle on Columbia Island between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum wrote on X. “This will be one of the Great Pieces of American Architecture, honoring the history and significance of Arlington Cemetery and befitting the most powerful Capital in the World.”
He explained that Congress and congressionally-chartered commissions have for years directed that monuments be found in the area.
“Despite Congress’s intent, the site became and remains today a barren traffic circle lacking any monumental treatment and significant historic value,” he added. “In fact, the passage extending from Arlington Memorial Bridge to Arlington National Cemetery was meant to serve as an Avenue of Heroes.”
Burgum further noted that Washington, DC, is the “only major Western capital without an arch.”
“Now after 125 years of waiting, the most powerful capital in the world will be home of the most spectacular and beautiful arch of them all!”
A recent National Park Service review claimed that President Trump’s proposed arch on Arlington Memorial Bridge would adversely impact approximately 37 historic sites across Washington, D.C., and its surrounding suburbs. Designs for the structure, however, were approved in May. Construction plans detail a 250-foot arch made of granite with a 24-carat gold-plated statue of Lady Liberty and two eagles. The phrases Liberty And Justice For All” and “One Nation Under God” are also featured.
