The Trump administration is eager to press ahead with its proposed 250-foot arch at Memorial Circle, a traffic island on the historic bridge connecting Washington, D.C. to Arlington, Va. The grassy roundabout is not far from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA): An arch would stand just about two aeronautical miles from the airport's main runway, which is one of the busiest in the country. "An enormous number of airplanes come over that site, basically every 45 to 60 seconds all day long 'til 11 at night," U.S.
Don Beyer, a Democrat who represents that part of Virginia, told NPR. "Just imagine the disaster that could happen with all of these airplanes coming right across a 250-foot-high arch." The Trump administration maintains the arch would not pose an additional risk. A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report said in June that the structure would likely not be an issue as long as it has blinking red obstruction lights on top, as the 555-foot-tall Washington Monument does.
But it is still in the process of conducting a more comprehensive study, which could lead it to label the arch "a hazard." An FAA spokesperson told NPR over email in early September that "the standard obstruction evaluation process is under way," both for the arch and cranes that would be used for construction, which the administration has said could be up to 320 feet tall. Neither the FAA nor the White House shared a timeline or further details about those reviews. But NPR spoke to three aviation safety experts about the impacts of a potential arch.
Their consensus: While the arch itself most likely would not pose a significant risk to most aircraft, it adds yet another variable to a notoriously crowded and complicated airspace. "It's a small airport with one runway, nestled in a metropolitan area that's surrounded by prohibited airspace [near the White House and U.S. Capitol]," said Jeff Guzzetti, a retired accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The congestion — and complexity — of D.C.'s airspace is a well-documented concern, especially after the January 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people. Even so, some experts worry the FAA may be facing political pressure from Trump to rubber-stamp the project. "The best, and the most basic option, is simply not to build it," Guzzetti said of the arch.
Shawn Pruchnicki, a former airline pilot and accident investigator who now teaches aviation safety at Ohio State University, went even further. He said putting a 250-foot arch in Memorial Circle would be "inherently dangerous." "This is an unbelievably ridiculous idea, to put this arch so close to this airport just for the sake of his personal needs," Pruchnicki added, referring to Trump. The president originally said the arch was for himself, though he has since characterized it as a tribute to the country's 250th anniversary.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
