Administration seeks final approval Thursday and may break ground the same day
Washington DC and Virginia sued in federal court on Saturday seeking to stop construction of Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot memorial arch, as the administration says work could begin as early as next week. The filing brings to three the number of lawsuits calling for a halt to potential construction of the arch, which would rise on a patch of grass off the bridge that spans the Potomac River and connects the capital with Arlington National Cemetery.
The proposed structure would stand 250ft (76 meters), 100ft (30 meters) taller than the Statue of Liberty is from its base to the top of the torch. Trump held up a model of the proposed arch at the White House on 15 October 2025.
In the latest lawsuit, the attorneys general of Washington DC and Virginia, Brian Schwalb and Jay Jones, 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.”
Like the original plaintiffs, the two attorneys general are seeking a temporary restraining order that would slow the administration’s push to begin construction imminently.
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 White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration said in a recent court filing that it had plans to seek final approval of the project at Thursday’s meeting of the Capital National Planning Commission and possibly begin construction the same day, despite the two lawsuits pending when the filing was made.
On Friday, the government submitted a 106-page plan for the arch that envisions a structure more than 12 stories high, including a huge bronze statue of Lady Liberty with wings and carrying a torch with an eternal flame. The plan calls for an observation deck with views to the east and west, an “occupied roof” and two mezzanines. Inside the arch would be 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.
The first suit against the project was brought by three Vietnam war veterans and an architectural historian. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan is already considering issuing an order to halt the project until that lawsuit against the Trump administration is resolved. She held a hearing on Friday but did not immediately act, though she said she would move expeditiously.