Arch de Trump? Will the FAA approve Trump’s latest architectural endeavour?

As the Trump administration rushes to build a 250-foot Triumphal Arch by America’s 250th birthday in July 2026, the project faces FAA safety reviews over its proximity to Reagan National Airport.

The proposed 250-foot ‘triumphal arch’ will be built opposite the Lincoln Memorial, at the end of Memorial Bridge. The project poses risk to flights ascending and descending from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one of the busiest in the U.S.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will review the impact of the proposed arch on aviation safety. The process to complete reviews averages around 45-90 days but can take as long as nine months. The arch poses an additional hazard in the Washington area as pilots will have to navigate the structure during take-off and landing via the “north-approach” flight path. This will mean they will have to fly closer to other notable landmarks such as the Pentagon and the Washington Monument.

Furthermore, the arch will complicate flying through a busy flight corridor for the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which is historically the sight of high-profile accidents. This airspace is extremely populated averaging around 900 flights per day; making the arch a logistical liability for thousands of passengers.

Extensive work will be conducted by the FAA to determine the safety of the arch, in collaboration with other agencies and branches of the armed forces including the Department of Defence, the Department of Homeland Security, the Army, Air Force and Navy.

Additionally, plans for the structure are to be approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission; two government agencies that oversee federal buildings in Washington. Media reports suggest that Trump has stacked both of these agencies with his allies in order to push through permission.

A result of “Determination of No Hazard” or a “Determination of Hazard” will be issued considering runway length, the airport elevation, the structure’s exact coordinates, ground elevation and whether temporary cranes to build the structure will exceed the permanent height.

A source close to the committees expressed fears over powerful government bodies going ahead with the arch regardless of potential pushback from the FAA. When asked about the project, a White House official claimed that the arch will “have no effect on flights to and from Reagan National.”

The NCPC has assured that it “regularly works with other agencies to ensure reviews are synchronized.”

If a hazard is determined by the FAA, the Trump administration will have 60 days to adjust the project to make it safer for aviation, tweaking height reductions or hazard lightings to make it more visible to aircraft.

Beyond the FAA approval, reports are coming on how Trump’s team plan to circumvent any scrutiny of the Arch. The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration is planning to start work on the arch by piggybacking on an existing, unrelated contract for engineering services at the White House.  Emails obtained by the news organisation reveal that the plan is to extend a current agreement with AECOM Services, originally for White House Grounds, to cover environmental assessments for the project.

The arch also faces a separate legal challenge from Vietnam War veterans who argue that the project requires congressional approval as it’s a commemorative work in the nation’s capital.  In response, the Trump administration has said it does not need approval since lawmakers a century ago authorised a somewhat similar project that was never built.

The pushback against Trump’s victory arch from war veterans, aviation safety experts and democrats has done little to slow down the plans, with photos emerging of workers taking measurements at the proposed site this week. Despite all the tactics used by the White House to push the vanity project through, including finding contractual loopholes, stacking Trump allies on approval committees, and circumventing Congress, they are still going to be under the wire to get the Arch erected and completed in time for America’s 250^th birthday in July 2026. Will they make it? Only time will tell.