Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday to reject the White House\u2019s plans to erect a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation called the arch President Trump\u2019s \u201cnewest vanity project\u201d in her letter to the federal agency and expressed concerns that it could pose a risk to commercial flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPresident Trump choosing to force the FAA to invest limited staff and resources into a distracting review of his gaudy and disgraceful arch is merely the latest example of Trump putting his pet projects first, while neglecting America\u2019s needs,\u201d the senator wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 259-foot structure is modeled after the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Its construction could last 20 hours a day for a period of two to three years and require cranes that reach 300 feet or higher, according to an estimate from the National Park Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A group of six lawmakers expressed their opposition to the structure in a June letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the acting director of the National Park Service, arguing that the administration has \u201cno power to build\u201d the arch without congressional approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legislators argued that the structure\u2019s proposed height would violate the Height of Buildings Act and the Commemorative Works Act, which applies to construction projects on federal land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FAA said after a preliminary review last week that the arch would need red safety lights, in line with requirements for buildings above 200 feet in close proximity to airports. Otherwise, the agency said it did not find evidence that the arch would have an \u201cadverse\u201d impact on DCA\u2019s airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next steps in this review process include a full aeronautical study conducted by the FAA in coordination with the National Park Service, the FAA confirmed to The Hill on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An FAA spokesperson said the agency will respond to Duckworth\u2019s letter directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Washington Monument, which is 555-feet tall, has red safety warning lights to alert pilots flying at night of the structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duckworth noted additional security concerns in the National Capitol Region (NCR) airspace, which includes a 15-mile radius from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe NCR is an extremely challenging airspace because of complicated flight paths, restricted airspace and complex civil-military operations,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven minor disruptions can have cascading, fatal effects,\u201d she continued, citing the tragic collision last year between an American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which left 67 people dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe DCA midair collision underscores the consequences of inadequate coordination and the need for extreme caution when evaluating any new obstruction in this environment,\u201d the senator wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n