Washington prepares to begin earthworks for triumphal arch
Washington plans to begin earthworks over the next two weeks for the construction of the Grand Triumphal Arch and a military review stand. The facility is to be built on Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced the preparations for the work. According to him, after more than 125 years of waiting, the authorities are preparing to begin the necessary earthworks. As The National reports, Burgum called the future monument one of the defining examples of American architecture.
Gateway to the capital
The arch is intended to become a gateway to the US capital for those entering Washington via the Arlington Memorial Bridge, located near Arlington National Cemetery. The structure is unofficially called the “Trump Arch,” by analogy with Paris’s Arc de Triomphe.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
An artistic rendering of the project depicts a tall white arch with the gold inscription “one nation under God” at its top. Above the arch is a gilded winged female figure holding a torch, with two eagles depicted beside her.
Trump’s initiative
US President Donald Trump presented plans for the construction of the arch during a White House dinner in October and said it would be very beautiful. The project is part of his initiatives to improve the US capital. These include a large-scale cleanup of neglected landmarks, including the fountain at Columbus Circle near Union Station.
At the same time, some of Trump’s other projects have prompted concern and mockery, The National writes. The reconstruction of the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial cost several million dollars more than the initial estimate, and the new surface began peeling almost immediately. Trump blamed vandals for the problems with the pool.
