US President Donald Trump wants to build the world’s tallest arch. The project is facing resistance and is likely to face legal hurdles.
Trump wants to create an American version of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, but bigger – the Arc de Triomphe would be 250 feet tall to mark the country’s 250th anniversary. That’s more than 250 feet, or the height of a 16-20-story building.
According to a CNN source, the proposed arch would be 165 feet tall and 165 feet wide, with a 25-foot pedestal and a massive 60-foot gilded bronze Statue of Liberty at the top. Smaller versions were considered, at 165 and 123 feet tall, with sculptures 40 and 30 feet tall, but Trump “is determined to build this huge arch.”
Current plans would make it the largest monumental arch in the world, about 30 feet taller than Mexico City’s Monument to the Revolution.
Historic preservationists warn that the proposed structure would block historically significant views and could pose a hazard to air traffic at nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Trump’s proposed arch would be located just a few feet from a corridor used by airport flights. A CNN analysis shows that the arch’s proposed location would be at a point where planes fly at a low altitude of just 492 feet. This raises concerns about the narrow margin of error for pilots in one of the country’s narrowest stretches of airspace.