Key facts
- Excavation for the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck will begin within two weeks.
- The planned arch will stand 250 feet tall.
- The National Endowment for the Humanities has earmarked $15 million for the monument.
- The structure is proposed for Columbia Island, overseen by the National Park Service.
Governor Doug Burgum announced that excavation work for the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck, a project associated with President Donald Trump, is scheduled to commence within the next two weeks. Burgum stated that the project has been a long time coming, with the wait exceeding 125 years.
The proposed 250-foot-tall arch is intended to be a significant architectural piece honoring American history and the nation's capital. However, critics have expressed concerns that the structure's scale may overshadow existing monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial, and that it requires explicit congressional approval, a claim disputed by the Interior secretary.
The National Endowment for the Humanities has allocated $15 million towards the monument's construction. Burgum emphasized that historically, Congress and chartered commissions had decreed that a monumental work should adorn Columbia Island, the site of the planned construction, which currently functions as a traffic circle.