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WASHINGTON (CN) — Heavy machinery and orange vest-clad construction workers nearly outnumbered tourists on the National Mall Wednesday as the nation’s capital undergoes a transformation to celebrate its 250th year.
Plywood buildings and metal scaffolding are being erected along the national park, marring the iconic panoramic views of marble monuments and landscaped green lawns that tens of millions of visitors trek to see every year.
The massive construction project is thanks to the White House-backed Freedom 250, which is holding several events to celebrate the nation’s anniversary over the coming months. And it comes as President Donald Trump works to reshape the nation’s capital in his own image.
Freedom 250 was created through an executive order in January. It’s separate from but collaborates with America250, the bipartisan commission created by Congress to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Large metal fences cordoned off the workers from tourists and runners, severing the one-mile stretch between the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument. The uninterrupted vista was designed to symbolize the relationship between the legislative and executive branches.
Behind one such barrier, workers raised a large tent emblazoned with “Rededicate 250” in gold letters. On Sunday, Freedom 250 invited Americans to join House Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other administration officials to prepare for the nation’s birthday with “prayer and rededication of our county as one nation to God.”
The event purports to include individuals from across faith traditions, listing attendance by Catholic, Christian and evangelical leaders, joined by conservative public figures and an American Orthodox rabbi.
According to Freedom 250, attendees will worship before the U.S. Capitol at sunrise, followed by “a full day of prayer, music and testimony.”
In the coming weeks, the group will host “The Great American State Fair.” There are few details publicly available on the event, but the Freedom 250 website says it will showcase culture and pride from all 50 states, territories and federal agencies.
Preparations for the events restricted access to the majority of the National Mall, closing down thoroughfares alongside the Smithsonian museums. Volunteers for the institution wandered the area, directing tourists around the construction zones.
Disruptions to the cornerstone of the city add to a growing list that includes Trump’s demolition of the East Wing and construction of a ballroom, the proposed renovation of the Kennedy Center and the proposed 250-foot “Independence Arch.”
On the other side of the Washington Monument, additional fencing lines the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — one of the most recognizable and filmed sites in Washington — leaving the public and the ducks that typically occupy the shallow pool on the outskirts.
Trump has demanded the reflecting pool be repainted “American flag” blue ahead of his planned July 4th celebrations.
Instead of reflecting the over 555-foot Egyptian obelisk of the Washington Monument, visitors can see construction workers from Trump’s hand-picked team painting rectangles of various shades of blue across the pool.
From the Lincoln Memorial, the public could see several contractors from Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which previously worked on projects at the Trump’s Virginia golf club, drive around the site in a golf cart adorned with an American flag. The Interior Department says it plans to pay the firm $13.1 million for the work.
The Trump administration has defended the project as necessary to repair and improve the pool basin, which faces significant issues caused by faulty plumbing in its filtration system that results in a recurring layer of green algae each year. But project does not include work to address the structural issues and will likely require further repairs in the coming years.
Hundreds of lawsuits have sprung up as Trump has tried to unilaterally exercise presidential authority over everything from domestic grant funding to military actions abroad and his renovation projects are no exception. On Monday, a cultural group sued the administration over the reflecting pool, arguing the government had once again unilaterally moved forward on a project that requires congressional notice and a review process.
National Guard troops continue to patrol D.C., albeit in smaller numbers and without the presence of large military vehicles that drew outrage from residents last year. They were among those visiting the D.C. War Memorial to play arcade games set up as a protest to the Iran war.
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