Arlington County has sued the National Park Service and Interior Department officials over a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, asking a federal court to halt construction until the government completes a fuller environmental review.
The complaint, filed Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia, says the structure would dominate the ceremonial corridor between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, disrupt traffic and emergency access, and permanently alter a historic sightline. The county alleges that the Park Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act by issuing an environmental assessment and a finding of no significant impact instead of preparing a full environmental impact statement.
The filing describes a five-level structure with more than 70,000 square feet of interior space, an observation deck, a plaza, security features and permanent traffic changes. Those are allegations at the opening of the case; the government has not yet answered them, and the court has made no findings on the merits.
Arlington is seeking declaratory relief, an order setting aside the agency’s environmental review, and preliminary and permanent injunctions against construction or demolition tied to the project. The suit is separate from earlier litigation in which a judge required advance notice before work beyond archaeological information gathering at the site.
