A federal judge temporarily barred construction-related activity near President Donald Trump’s proposed Washington arch for 14 days, hours after planners approved the 250-foot project, leaving its legal authorization unresolved.
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) approved final plans in an 8-4 vote on Thursday, Nov. 5. The Department of the Interior (DOI) also issued a decision authorizing the proposal for implementation that day.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s order blocks construction, excavation, demolition, ground disturbance, utility installation, road closures and other related work at or near Memorial Circle. The District of Columbia and Virginia requested the order. Chutkan found they were likely to succeed on a claim under the Commemorative Works Act, writing, “First, the harm is certain.” The temporary order does not decide the case’s final outcome.
The court challenge concerns congressional authorization, while the NCPC’s height review addressed a separate question. Its staff report cited a 1925 congressional action as the basis for finding that the proposed height did not have to meet the Height of Buildings Act. The design calls for a 166-foot arch topped by three gilded figures, for a total height of 250 feet.
The DOI says the project would mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. It is planned for Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, in the corridor linking the Lincoln Memorial with Arlington National Cemetery. EconoTimes previously covered the injunction request before the plans review.
In a Nov. 3 filing, the U.S. Department of Justice projected that excavation and foundation work would take six to eight months. It said above-ground construction would begin no earlier than May 2027 and estimated the full project would take 33 to 39 months. The court order requires the government to file a status report by Nov. 9 and does not set a date for another hearing.
