By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the Senate aviation subcommittee urged the Federal Aviation Administration to reject White House pressure to approve President Donald Trump's proposed 259-foot (79-meter) tall Independence Arch, saying it could pose risks to commercial flights.
"The FAA must commit to upholding the highest safety standards and be firm in rejecting any improper or irresponsible pressure from President Trump to prioritize the construction of his
gaudy, vanity arch over the safety of the American people," Senator Tammy Duckworth wrote FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in a letter on Thursday.
The FAA said last week that the arch would need red safety lights but said it does not pose any safety impacts in its preliminary review. The proposed arch would be 3,000 feet from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and within the airport's main approach and departure corridor.
The FAA said it would respond directly to Duckworth. The White House did not immediately comment.
The FAA generally requires the blinking red warning lights on buildings above 200 feet near airports to warn pilots at night, like on the nearby 555-foot-tall Washington Monument.
Duckworth noted that the National Park Service said construction of Trump’s arch would require cranes reaching 300 to 320 feet in height and estimated construction could last 20 hours per day for 2 to 3 years.
She said on final approach commercial jets can fly as low as 500 feet above ground, which "raises additional operational and safety issues."
Duckworth noted that last year's mid-air collision between an American Airlines commuter jet and Army helicopter killed 67 and "underscores the consequences of inadequate coordination and the need for extreme caution when evaluating any new obstruction in this environment."
Trump wants the arch to be built in Washington across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery. The structure is reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris but much larger.
The arch, with eagle statues and a Lady Liberty-type figure on top, would be taller than the Lincoln Memorial and not far off the size of the U.S. Capitol, which at 288 feet can be seen across much of Washington.
By contrast, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is 164 feet high.
The National Capital Planning Commission advanced the project on June 4 while seeking more information about how the structure would impact flight paths. A lawsuit has been filed seeking to block the project.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Andrea Ricci )
