Arlington County sues Trump administration to halt construction of 250-foot arch

Arlington County, Virginia, has sued the Trump administration to halt construction of President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot (76-metre) triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, alleging that federal officials failed to adequately assess the project's environmental and safety impacts.

Arlington County, Virginia, has sued the Trump administration to halt construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot (76-metre) triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, alleging that federal officials failed to adequately assess the project’s environmental and safety impacts.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday against the US Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, challenges the federal agencies’ review of the proposed monument at Memorial Circle, near the Virginia entrance to Arlington Memorial Bridge. The site is federal land within Washington, DC.

The Arlington County Board, the county’s governing body, argues that the National Park Service failed to meet requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including adequately assessing environmental effects and considering alternatives to the project.

County officials say the arch could disrupt traffic on nearby roads used by emergency services, increase noise and air pollution, and require changes to flight paths at nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. These concerns are set out in the county’s legal challenge and have not been established as findings by a court.

The proposed arch, modelled on Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, is part of Trump’s plans to commemorate the 250th anniversary of US independence. Trump has also described plans for the structure to accommodate military functions, including drones and snipers, prompting further safety concerns.

The county’s lawsuit is the first legal challenge to the project brought by a government body. Three military veterans and a historian have filed a separate lawsuit arguing that the monument would disrupt historic views between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

The proposed project has yet to receive final approval. The legal challenges add to scrutiny of the administration’s plans for the monument and the federal review process.