The legal challenges to Donald Trump’s proposed memorial arch are mounting, with the District of Columbia and Virginia suing in federal court on Saturday as the administration says construction could begin as early as next week.
There are now three lawsuits calling for a halt to potential work on a monument that would rise 250ft (76 meters) on a patch of grass off the bridge that spans the Potomac River, connecting the city with the Arlington national cemetery. That would make the arch 100ft taller (30 meters) than the Statue of Liberty is from its base to the top of the torch.
The US district judge Tanya Chutkan is already considering issuing an order to halt the project until the original lawsuit against the Trump administration by three Vietnam war veterans and an architectural historian is resolved. She held a hearing on Friday but did not immediately act, though she said she would move expeditiously.
In the latest lawsuit, two attorneys general, Brian Schwalb of Washington DC and Jay Jones of Virginia, argue that “as soon as defendants break ground on this project, they will inflict irreparable harm on both the District and Virginia. The arch site sits at the center of a major traffic artery between the District and Virginia, in the monumental core of the capital, on an island that straddles the Potomac River. During the three-year period of construction, the arch project will inevitably snarl traffic between the jurisdictions, produce pollution and storm water runoff in the Potomac, interfere with emergency services, and pose numerous other challenges.”
As the original plaintiffs have, they also are seeking a temporary restraining order that would slow the administration’s plans to move ahead imminently with construction.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit raises concerns about how the traffic interruption would affect emergency responses in a region where joint operations are the norm, and where a January 2025 midair collision between a US military helicopter and passenger airliner killed 67 people.
The Republican administration, in a recent court filing, said it had plans to seek final approval of the project, a Trump favorite, at Thursday’s meeting of the Capital National Planning Commission and possibly begin construction the same day, despite the two pending lawsuits.
On Friday, the government submitted a 106-page plan for the arch that envisions a massive structure more than 12 stories high that includes a huge bronze statue of Lady Liberty with wings and carrying a torch with an eternal flame. The structure would include an observation deck with views to the east and west, an “occupied roof” and two mezzanines.
Inside the arch are rooms for program space, offices, a staff lounge, circular staircases, multiple elevators and a “fire command center”. The project proposes significant traffic changes in the area, including rerouting traffic on nearby roads. Administration officials have said the arch also will have a national security function.
