Key facts
- The FAA requires red safety lights on President Trump's proposed 250-foot Independence Arch.
- The FAA determined the arch poses no safety risk to air travel near Reagan National Airport.
- Construction is planned to occur year-round, 20 hours per day, to complete the arch within three years.
- The National Park Service released a preliminary assessment of the arch's construction.
- The National Capital Planning Commission is seeking further information on the project.
- Critics have raised concerns about the arch's height and impact on the Washington skyline.
The Federal Aviation Administration has determined that President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot Independence Arch requires red safety lights, though it poses no adverse impact to air travel operations at Reagan National Airport. The FAA will conduct a full aeronautical study in coordination with the National Park Service.
Officials are pushing to complete the arch within three years, with a preliminary assessment by the National Park Service suggesting construction could occur 20 hours per day, year-round. The assessment detailed the need for tower cranes up to 320 feet tall and other heavy equipment. The National Capital Planning Commission has voted to seek more information from the Interior Department regarding the arch's height, lighting, stormwater management, and traffic regulation.
Critics argue the arch, which would be more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial, would dominate the skyline and disrupt views. A group of veterans and a historian have filed a lawsuit to block the project, citing concerns over sightline disruption. White House staff secretary Will Scharf, heading the commission, believes a federal law limiting building heights in Washington should not apply to the arch.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal has criticized the administration's "persistent lack of transparency" regarding Trump's construction projects in Washington, including the arch, a new White House ballroom, and renovations to the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool.