Trump Arch Will Have ‘Adverse Effects’, NPS Says

The Trump administration has acknowledged that a planned 250-foot triumphal arch on the Potomac River, at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery, would have “adverse effects” on the surrounding setting and views, although it said those impacts could not be fully avoided.

The assessment appears in a document sent by the National Park Service to four historic preservation and planning agencies in the Washington area, seeking their agreement with the park service’s mitigation plans.

Adverse Effects From Proposed placement

In the paper, the park service said the Memorial Circle area, where the arch is intended to be built, is a “highly sensitive historic and commemorative landscape”.

It added that the structure would affect the location’s “setting, design, feeling, association, spatial organization, circulation, and contributing views and vistas”.

The administration said the arch’s placement was “central to the undertaking” and that the project could not be moved elsewhere without changing its character. It stated that relocating the arch outside Memorial Circle would “constitute a materially different undertaking”, meaning the location could not be substituted to avoid harm.

Picture courtesy of ABC

Mitigation Steps Proposed

The National Park Service said it is seeking to offset the adverse effects through a series of measures during and after any construction.

These include monitoring vibration during works and controlling noise levels. The document also calls for an archaeological study and planned improvements to the parkland.

The proposed improvements listed in the paper include new walkways, curbs, lighting and plantings.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that the administration has been seeking the agencies’ agreement.

Veterans Seek Court Order

Earlier this month, attorneys for a group of Vietnam War veterans who have sued to stop the arch asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from proceeding with excavation.

The veterans’ lawsuit argues that the project would obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery and that it cannot proceed without congressional authorisation.

Consultation Rules for Historic Sites

The dispute centres on the historic status of Memorial Circle. Federal rules require consultation, including with a state historic preservation office or a tribal nation, when a project may “diminish the integrity” of a historic property.

Memorial Circle, the proposed site for the arch and a roundabout near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Although the law requires consultation and an effort to minimise harm “to the maximum extent possible”, agreement with state officials does not appear to be a prerequisite for a federal project at a historic site to continue.

Arch Design and Scale

Renderings of the proposal show a 250-foot structure that is more than twice as tall as the nearby 99-foot Lincoln Memorial. The design includes an inscription reading “One Nation Under God” and a gold statue of Lady Liberty with outstretched gold wings at the top.

The renderings also depict four golden lions, one at each corner of the base.

In earlier remarks, President Donald Trump described the arch as a “wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area”, adding in a social media post earlier this year that it would be the “GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL” structure “anywhere in the world”.

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18 September 2026