Trump's plans for massive arch move ahead

US President Donald Trump's plans for building a massive arch appear to be moving ahead, after a federal advisory council terminated talks on how to handle the 250-foot structure's possible effects on nearby historic sites.

The council, led by Trump appointees, announced on Thursday it was ending required consultations on the project, saying historic preservation officers from Washington and Virginia had refused to sign off on harm-mitigation plans.

Construction was already expected to begin this month, but opposition has been growing.

On Friday, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth blasted plans to use the arch for defence as "foolhardy" and called it "yet another Trump vanity project".

Earlier this week Trump announced that the proposed "Triumphal Arch" would double as a complex to store military equipment, complete with the ability to deploy snipers and drones from the roof and plaza.

In a letter to the Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Duckworth said they "must reject this foolhardy plan and instead focus on increasing the safety of the airspace".

The arch is to be built just outside Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and about 4mi (6km) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the site of the deadly 2025 midair crash between a military helicopter and commercial plane.

"The American people cannot afford to stand witness to Trump's risky plan to place a 250-foot (72m) structure along a busy approach path, especially if he follows through on plans to station snipers on the arch and fly drones," Duckworth wrote in the letter, which was obtained by the BBC's US partner, CBS News.