Despite strong resistance from individuals who expressed concerns during a protracted public hearing, a final vote approving President Donald Trump's arch passed late Thursday, and a federal judge has banned construction of the project for 14 days.

At its virtual meeting on Thursday, the National Capital Planning Commission—one of two federal agencies in charge of overseeing architectural and design changes in Washington—gave the final go-ahead to construct the 250-foot monument after over 120 citizens, many of them veterans, lined up to beg the panel to halt the project.

Around 10:29 p.m., the panel voted 8–4 to approve the arch following over eight hours of public testimony. An hour after it was passed, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee supervising a high-profile lawsuit to halt construction, decided that the administration, the defendants in the case, would not be allowed to "initiate, make or otherwise effectuate" any "construction-related activity" close to the proposed arch site.

Later, she released a memo outlining some of the justifications for the order, including its possible effects on the economy and traffic congestion.

Following the final vote, the Trump administration had hinted that building might start right away.

Opponents criticized the building's planning, which was not authorized by Congress, and called it a vanity project for Trump.

The committee, which is dominated by Trump-appointed allies, gave its approval, marking the final stage in pushing through one of the main initiatives in the president's effort to change Washington to suit his preferences. Before a new Democratic-controlled Congress enters office in January, the White House is keen to proceed.

According to Trump, the arch should be finished before he departs office in two years.

Legal obstacles, such as a high-profile lawsuit brought by veterans and preservationists, are likely to continue to complicate the aggressive timeframe. Opponents claim that the monument's size and location will interfere with the view of the row of national icons, which includes the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington House, and the Robert E. Lee Memorial. They also claim that the monument's height will disturb the solemnity of Arlington National Cemetery burials.

Citing the Commemorative Works Act, which mandates legislative approval for new monuments in Washington, they contend that the project is unlawful since it lacks congressional authority.

Throughout Thursday, there were protests close to the location. At a demonstration on Thursday morning that included veterans and other fierce opponents, Democratic Representative Don Beyer, whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery, declared, "This monumental abomination of one man's ego disrespects every service member who's buried there."

However, the commission chair declared before to the meeting that he would vote in favor of the project, referring to it as a "historic effort" by Trump.

A president's private project

The president's attempts to leave a legacy in Washington, DC, are exemplified by the arch. His second tenure has been largely devoted to building and renovation projects around Washington, such as the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which his detractors have called "vanity projects."

However, after his party won a landslide victory in the midterm elections, the president made his first public appearance on Wednesday to celebrate the construction of the White House ballroom, another high-profile project.

Trump displayed various scaled models of his triumphal arch, which is intended to be the biggest arch in the world, while seated in the Oval Office in October of last year, when it was originally being proposed.

When a reporter asked Trump who the arch was for, he pointed to himself and replied, "Me."

The nation's 250th anniversary, the American spirit, the American military, and American "competence" will all be honored by the arch, according to the president.

In more recent times, he has maintained that the arch, which is situated in a busy traffic circle close to the Potomac River, would be used as a military complex to store weapons and drones in addition to becoming a tourist destination.

The military elements Trump mentioned were not included in the final blueprints submitted to the planning commission on Thursday, but administration officials have stated that they could be fully integrated into the current design and would not require any structural changes.

An ambitious building plan has already been outlined by the government, which calls for two 10-hour shifts every day so that work can be done almost continuously. The National Park Service, which is in charge of the administration's project, acknowledged to the court on Thursday that the construction business it hired had marked the site without authorization and promised to stop preliminary work without providing notice.

Michael Lemmon, the primary plaintiff in the complaint against the construction, questioned the integrity of the review process during his testimony against the arch at the commission meeting on Thursday, claiming it was "rushed" and had a "predetermined outcome."

"We have seen Congress purposefully excluded, rules consistently broken, and professional assessments—including those from NPS—of the detrimental effects on Arlington ignored."

"This arch would dishonor America, our ideals, and our laws," stated Democratic Representative Jared Huffman, who is set to become chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which would oversee NPS matters. Instead of caving in to a president who believes he is a king, we should celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Tuesday nite by defending the rights of the American people and their ballots.

Negative consequences

The administration admitted in an August National Park Service evaluation that the arch will have "adverse" effects on up to 42 historic structures, with the most severe centered on six close to the building. These include the Lincoln Memorial corridor, Arlington National Cemetery, and Arlington House, a memorial to Robert E. Lee that includes the house he occupied before to commanding the Confederate army.

According to the research, the arch would change views of other monuments and the "design continuity" of famous Washington settings, among other negative consequences on nearby landmarks. When finished, the arch will be visible from a number of locations, including the Pentagon, the US Capitol, and the Georgetown shoreline.

The project is "inherently location dependent" and "not interchangeable" with any other location, according to NPS, which stated it took into account various options before deciding that the arch must remain at the suggested site on the banks of the Potomac River.

This evaluation, called a Section 106 review, is required under the National Historic Preservation Act and requires approval from independent organizations with knowledge or interest in historical preservation issues pertaining to a project.

The administration announced last month that it will cease the Section 106 study, ending the consultation process, effectively giving up on a deal, and enabling Trump to get over a major obstacle in the building permit process. The Department of Interior, which is in charge of the NPS, announced that it will proceed within 30 minutes of the NCPC's approval.