Trump Arch Acknowledged to Damage Historic Sites

The Trump administration has acknowledged that its proposed 250-foot triumphal arch at Arlington National Cemetery will cause unavoidable adverse effects on historic sites, including the cemetery itself and the Lincoln Memorial, but it intends to move forward with the project. According to a National Park Service memorandum of agreement circulated to historic preservation groups, the arch would negatively impact the setting, design, and views of these sites, and these effects cannot be fully avoided. The memorandum states that the arch is planned for Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, and that this location is central to the undertaking and cannot be relocated. To mitigate the damage, the National Park Service has proposed measures such as new signs and a website to explain the project, documenting the landscape before construction, and coordinating work to avoid disrupting burials at the cemetery. Additional steps include controlling construction noise, vibration, and lighting, as well as rehabilitating the Memorial Avenue landscape and mitigating dust from material transport.