Army estimates that Trump's military parade could cost $16 million in damage to Washington streets

The outgo to repair Washington, D.C., streets aft the upcoming subject parade celebrating the Army’s 250th day could outgo arsenic overmuch arsenic $16 million, according to U.S. subject officials.

That’s portion of an estimated $45 cardinal full outgo for the June 14 subject parade, which coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The outgo estimates person fluctuated arsenic readying continues.

In an interrogation with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” earlier this month, the president defended the outgo of the parade, calling it “peanuts compared to the worth of doing it.”

“We person the top missiles successful the world. We person the top submarines successful the world. We person the top service tanks successful the world. We person the top weapons successful the world. And we’re going to observe it,” Trump added.

The parade volition beryllium portion of a monolithic solemnisation successful downtown Washington that includes a fig of events, humanities displays and a objection by the Army’s celebrated parachute team, the Golden Knights.

The parade itself volition see astir 130 vehicles, including 28 M1A1 tanks, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 28 Stryker armored warring vehicles and a fig of vehicles towing artillery launchers. More than 50 helicopters volition besides enactment successful an “extensive flyover” successful the nation’s capital.

The lawsuit volition besides bring much than 9,000 soldiers from astir the state to Washington, astir 7,000 of whom volition march successful the parade itself. The lawsuit volition besides see astatine slightest 8 Army bands, and immoderate troops volition thrust connected the astir 3 twelve horses and 2 mules expected to march arsenic portion of a humanities conception of the parade.

The soldiers visiting Washington for the parade volition beryllium housed successful authorities buildings, including the Department of Agriculture gathering and a General Services Administration building. A fewer 1000 others volition bunk astatine Joint Base Andrews successful Maryland. The troops are expected to devour subject rations called meals acceptable to eat, oregon MREs, during their stay.

Trump had agelong wanted a subject parade during his archetypal term. But it was canceled implicit concerns astir outgo and the optics of a subject parade successful the nation’s superior that could beryllium seen arsenic akin to the benignant commonly seen successful Moscow, Beijing oregon Pyongyang, North Korea. The inclusion of tanks successful a imaginable parade besides drew concerns astir what their tracks mightiness bash to the streets of Washington.

The Army is preparing for the imaginable harm to Washington streets with respective measures it hopes volition avert damage. These see utilizing 1-inch-thick alloy plates, immoderate arsenic agelong arsenic 20 feet, astatine places on the parade way wherever the tanks indispensable crook and wherever those turns could origin the astir harm to the streets. The summation of the alloy plates is expected to outgo the Army astir $3 million, officials said.

The tanks are besides being outfitted with caller way pads to make separation betwixt the metallic way and the ground, the officials said. Army officials said they judge these measures volition support the harm to a minimum and bring the outgo of repairing immoderate harm down significantly.

“We are targeting those areas that we person concerns, which chiefly are areas wherever the tracked vehicles are going to person to crook sharply,” said Col. Jesse Curry, the enforcement serviceman for the Army Corps of Engineers. “We are not peculiarly acrophobic that this staging country and the routes person been selected to truly minimize the hazard from value and damage. But really, those areas wherever tanks person to turn, peculiarly the areas wherever the aboveground of the pavement, we typically person an exaggerated level of stress.”

The parade way itself volition travel Constitution Avenue on the National Mall from 23rd Street to astir 15th Street.

The astir 50 craft volition see Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, including respective peculiar operations variants. Also planned to alert are respective historical aircraft, including World War II-era B-25s, P-51s and Vietnam-era helicopters.

The parade is expected to past astir 90 minutes and volition beryllium breached into eras: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Global War connected Terror, the modern Army and the future. The Army’s Golden Knights volition leap during the presumption astir the Army’s aboriginal and program to present an American emblem to Trump.

In the early-May “Meet the Press” interview, Trump defended himself against claims that the subject parade was for his birthday, reiterating that the Army’s 250th day and Flag Day are besides connected June 14.

“My day happens to beryllium connected Flag Day,” helium said. “I presumption it for Flag Day, not needfully my birthday. Somebody enactment it together. But no, I deliberation we’re going to bash thing connected June 14, maybe, oregon determination astir there. But I deliberation June 14. It’s a precise important day.”