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 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 the 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 to 2020, 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.
The National Park Service owns and operates the circle and the roadways leading to it. NPS spokespeople did not respond to questions The Washington Post sent last month and again Wednesday about what effects the the arch would have on regional traffic.
Harrison Design, the firm tasked with the arch’s creation, originally suggested that a pedestrian tunnel would allow visitors to access the traffic circle without having to cross its busy lanes. After the Commission of Fine Arts knocked down that idea, the firm proposed four pedestrian crossing points.
There are currently no traffic lights on Memorial Circle, and it was unclear from the proposal whether those would be installed or if vehicles would be expected to stop at the crossings if pedestrians are present. No information has been publicly provided showing what impact installing lights on the circle would have on traffic.
Harrison Design did not immediately respond Wednesday to questions sent by The Post seeking clarification on pedestrian access or whether the circle would need to be shut down during construction of the arch.
Beyer asked Burgum and Bowron for more information on the project before any additional work proceeds.
“Failure to produce plans for traffic impacts from this arch could, I fear, be widely interpreted as a sign of apathy or disorganization on the part of the Administration regarding the outsized local impacts of its decision-making,” he wrote. “The public deserves transparency in this matter from their government.”
The National Capital Planning Commission, a separate panel that oversees federal construction projects, is set to review the proposed design for the arch June 4.
Dan Diamond contributed to this report.
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