The National Park Service is asking for more public input on Trump height, a 250-foot triumphal arch planned for the Virginia side of Memorial Bridge. Comments are due Thursday, July 30, while the proposal moves through a review process that has already drawn broad opposition.
The agency’s request comes after the National Capital Planning Commission voted earlier this month to approve preliminary site and building plans. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the design in May, and the planning commission began reviewing the arch plan in June.
Memorial Bridge traffic concerns
The site sits in a heavily trafficked roundabout between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. The National Park Service estimated in 2018 that about 62,000 vehicles crossed Memorial Bridge every day, and its environmental assessment said daily visitation in the peak season could range from 2,000 to more than 22,000 visitors per day.
That assessment said drivers would face low to moderate delay during the busiest commuting times, with the most severe impact likely on northbound traffic turning onto Memorial Bridge during morning peak hours. It also said vehicles would keep moving, but at slower speeds and under constrained conditions, while maximum pedestrian signal activation could push conditions toward the upper limit of roadway capacity.
Will Scharf and Stuart Levenbach
Will Scharf, who heads the National Capital Planning Commission, said this year’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is “as good an opportunity as any to add something to Washington, D.C., that will hopefully stand the test of time.” Stuart Levenbach, a Trump appointee and vice chairman of the commission, said the proposed site was one of the few locations where such an “iconic civic monument could be appropriate.”
Levenbach also said “it’s reasonable to consider whether a significant architectural statement belongs in such a location.” The project’s design currently shows signalized crosswalks that would let pedestrians reach the roundabout through two entry points.
Negative comments on the arch
A analysis of 1,696 public comments found that 99% were negative. Opponents argue that the arch is too big for the skyline and would disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
The project is expected to disrupt drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists for two to three years of construction, with impacts reaching Memorial Avenue, Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Boundary Channel Bridge, Arlington Blvd and Washington Blvd. The new comment period gives the National Park Service another public record to review before the arch advances further.
