President Donald Trump’s plan to build a 250-foot-tall arch at the south end of the Memorial Bridge could create traffic headaches for the region’s commuters, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia) wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to administration officials, expressing his “grave concerns” and demanding transparency.
The arch, which was given the go-ahead last week by the Commission of Fine Arts but still faces final approval, would sit in the middle of Memorial Circle, a traffic circle between the bridge and Arlington National Cemetery. The circle serves as a key access route for more than 70,000 vehicles a day that use the bridge to go in and out of the District, connecting commuters and visitors via the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Northern Virginia roadways to the National Mall and downtown D.C.
“With the size of the project and the site’s location between Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery, the proposed construction would have significant traffic impacts on my Northern Virginia constituents,” Beyer, whose district includes Arlington Cemetery, wrote in the letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and National Park Service acting director Jessica Bowron. “My constituents and the residents and visitors who would be impacted by this project deserve consideration in this matter, and they deserve answers about how the actions of your departments would affect their lives.”
Beyer pointed out in his letter that the Arlington Memorial Bridge rehabilitation project, from 2018-20, caused significant traffic disruptions and asked the administration to send copies of any traffic studies or documentation related to the impact the arch project would have on transportation.
The D.C. Department of Transportation did not respond to questions sent last month about the potential traffic impact of construction and operation of the arch. A Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson deferred questions to the National Park Service.
Dan Diamond contributed to this report.
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