Federal aviation authorities are probing safety concerns surrounding Donald Trump’s plans to build a towering “triumphal arch” beneath one of the busiest airspaces in the country.
The Department of the Interior requested a formal study of the D.C. project, loosely modeled on Paris’s “Arch de Triomphe,” after realizing the almost 280-feet-tall structure will stand just two miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, CNN reports.
The airport, which handles 900 flights a day, and its surrounding airspace have witnessed a number of high-profile collisions and other incidents over the years, including last January’s crash between a commercial jet and a military helicopter that killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations state that any proposed structure above 200 feet that has the potential to interfere with air traffic should undergo review before construction.
Reviews usually aim for 90 days, but can take as long as nine months.
The FAA told CNN it had received a request to review the arch from Interior, and declined to provide a timeline for its inquiries.
Sources with knowledge of the discussions told the outlet they fear the Trump administration may attempt to push through the plans regardless of any report’s findings.
“I fear that regardless of any defects in the arch’s design, it will be rammed through by the government bodies that need to approve it,” one person said.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the FAA for comment on this story.
The arch forms just one component of Trump’s efforts to renovate the nation’s capital in his own image.
Other examples have included his demolition of the White House East Wing to construct a new ballroom at the site where the historic structure once stood.
Costs have ballooned from $200 million to more than $400 million, with Republicans trying to attach a separate $1 billion for security fortifications following a shooting at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner last month.
The president has also paved over the Rose Garden, gilded the Oval Office, and shuttered the Kennedy Center for a two-year overhaul after installing himself as the feted cultural institution’s chair.
