Trump’s 250-Foot Arch Will Soon Break Ground, Burgum Says

Excavation will begin at the Memorial Circle site over the next two weeks, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday.

Trump arch AP - 26185088891653

The scale of the project and its impact on the surrounding area have caused concern among some Washingtonians and lawmakers. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

The first stage of construction on President Donald Trump’s 250-foot arch in Washington, D.C., will begin over the next two weeks, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday.

“We are pleased to announce that after a very long wait (over 125 years!), we are preparing to start, over the next two-week period, the excavation work necessary for the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck,” Burgum wrote on X.

The new project follows a wave of construction and beautification efforts in the District as the president makes his mark on D.C.