Work on Trump-backed Triumphal Arch will start in coming weeks, Burgum says

September 3, 2026 / 5:22 PM EDT / CBS News

The federal government plans to start excavation over the next two weeks on a massive triumphal arch across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said Thursday, launching a controversial project championed by President Trump.

Construction at the site is expected to take two to three years, with an intense 20-hour-a-day, year-round work schedule, the National Park Service has said, meaning the project could wrap up toward the end of Mr. Trump's second term.

The 250-foot-tall arch — which will be clad in granite and topped by three golden statues plus an observation deck — is slated for a traffic circle near Arlington Memorial Cemetery and across the river from the Lincoln Memorial. The administration has said the arch will recognize the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this year, and has argued that previous architectural plans for the site have called for a monument to be built.

"This will be one of the Great Pieces of American Architecture, honoring the history and significance of Arlington Cemetery and befitting the most powerful Capital in the World," Burgum wrote Thursday in a…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/