Key facts
- Arlington County, Virginia, sued the US Department of Interior and National Park Service to block President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch.
- The proposed 250-foot arch is modeled on Paris' Arc de Triomphe and sited near Arlington National Cemetery.
- The lawsuit claims the project will cause significant harm to residents and necessitate changes to nearby flight paths.
- The suit argues the National Park Service failed to conduct a thorough review and will harm public safety by clogging thoroughfares.
- A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to give 48 hours' notice before engaging in any activity on the proposed arch site, except for work to identify underground cultural artifacts.
Local authorities in Arlington, Virginia, have sued the US Department of Interior and National Park Service to block President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch, which is modeled on Paris' Arc de Triomphe and sited near Arlington National Cemetery.
The Arlington County governing board stated in its lawsuit, filed late Thursday, that the project within a busy traffic corridor will cause "significant harm" to its residents and could necessitate changes to nearby flight paths. The suit argues the National Park Service failed to conduct a thorough review and that the arch will harm public safety by clogging thoroughfares needed for emergency services. It also claims the project threatens to increase noise and air pollution by diverting flights into and out of Reagan National Airport.
The proposed arch would be located within the airport's main approach and departure corridors. The Federal Aviation Administration has set safety requirements, including marking the arch with a flame and floodlight projectors for pilots, though it dropped an earlier requirement for red obstruction lights on structures over 200 feet tall near airports.
Separately, three veterans and a military historian have also sued to block the arch, contending it would destroy the historic sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Last month, a federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration to provide 48 hours' notice before undertaking any activity at the proposed arch site, excluding work to identify underground cultural artifacts.