Key facts
- The commission approved the arch by an 8-4 vote after a nearly nine-hour meeting.
- NCPC Vice Chairman Stuart Levenbach said the arch would turn a tired traffic circle into a monumental gateway.
- Rep. Jared Huffman said the project lacked congressional approval and called the US a nation of laws, not kings.
- NCPC chair Mark Paoletta told Huffman he was wrong about the 1925 Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission authorization.
- The arch is planned for Columbia Plaza on the Arlington Memorial Bridge, linking Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
Key facts
- The commission approved the arch by an 8-4 vote after a nearly nine-hour meeting.
- NCPC Vice Chairman Stuart Levenbach said the arch would turn a tired traffic circle into a monumental gateway.
- Rep. Jared Huffman said the project lacked congressional approval and called the US a nation of laws, not kings.
- NCPC chair Mark Paoletta told Huffman he was wrong about the 1925 Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission authorization.
- The arch is planned for Columbia Plaza on the Arlington Memorial Bridge, linking Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
Numbers
- 8-4 — NCPC vote approving the arch plans
- 100 — public remarks taken at the meeting, most opposed
- 9 hours — length of the NCPC meeting
- 40 minutes — gap before the livestream resumed on YouTube
- 67 people — killed in the 2025 midair collision over the Potomac, cited by a speaker
Who
- National Capital Planning Commission — approved the arch plans 8-4
- Donald Trump — president who championed the arch
- Stuart Levenbach — NCPC vice chairman who backed the design
- Mark Paoletta — NCPC chair who disputed Huffman's authorization claim
- Jared Huffman — Democratic congressman who opposed the arch
- Holly Fletcher — former CIA analyst who criticized the commission
- Ed Sterling — National Parks Conservation Association vice president who questioned the purpose
- Arlington National Cemetery — burial ground near the planned bridge site
Caveats
- The report gives the day of the week but not the date; the vote is dated November 5, 2026, the day before the publication stamp.
- The account rests on a single report by Nexstar Media and has not been independently corroborated.