The U.S. Army said it would pay to repair any damage to D.C. streets caused by military equipment during next month’s 250th anniversary parade, several media reports said.
The parade on June 14, which coincides with President Trump’s 79th birthday, will feature 6,700 soldiers taken from all Army divisions, aircraft and ground equipment including howitzers, tanks and other fighting vehicles, Army spokesperson Steve Warren said, according to military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
Some of the equipment, like the Abrams tanks that weighs 68 tons, will require additional reinforcement of the streets. While the Army will put down steel plates on the streets to help support that weight, Col. Jesse Curry with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said that “the Army is responsible for any damage,” Axios reported.
In April, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a parade skeptic, said that “if military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads,” The Associated Press said.
Mr. Trump hoped to hold a similar parade during his first administration; his hopes then were dashed by concerns about the damage the military hardware would cause to the roads, according to Stars and Stripes.
The District has not hosted a military parade since 1991 following the end of Operation Desert Storm. During that parade, tanks left tread marks on the heat-softened asphalt on Constitution Avenue, Washingtonian magazine reported.
The Army said in promotional material that festivities on June 14 will start in the morning with a wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery, followed by a fitness competition, awards ceremony and festival on the National Mall.
The parade itself will run from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. along Constitution Avenue NW, starting where it meets 23rd Street NW and ending where it meets 15th Street NW, according to an Army route map.
The Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team will then descend onto the Ellipse north of the National Mall, and Mr. Trump will administer the enlistment oath to 250 soldiers, according to Axios. Events will conclude after that with a concert and fireworks.
The various activities are projected to cost between $25 million and $45 million.
“It is a lot of money, but I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice that, you know, American soldiers have given this country. We’re looking at this as an opportunity to really strengthen the connection between America and her Army,” Mr. Warren said, according to Stars and Stripes.
