Trump hosts military parade as protesters rally across US against his presidency

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Here in Washington DC, city managers have been coordinating with federal officials on how best to pull off a large military parade in a major city.

There are road blocks stretching several streets near the parade as revellers line up for the spectacle. But perhaps the most pressing concern for local officials and residents is the potential for road damage.

That concern, along with the parade’s cost, were part of the reasons why Trump’s planned 2018 parade was cancelled.

“I remain concerned about it,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters late last month. “These are for the most part local streets and if they are rendered unusable we have to make them usable and then go seek our money from the feds.”

Image source, Getty Images

The army says it has budgeted about $16 million (£11 million) for damage to local roads caused by heavy tanks rolling down a section of DC’s ceremonial core. It also says it has put in measures to minimise damage.

“Primarily it is metal plating that’s being put down to address those areas where tanks have to steer sharply,” Colonel Jesse Curry of the Army Corps of Engineers said a recent briefing.

“What you can also see during the parade is the tanks all have brand new rubber track pads placed on them which increase the the padding they have underneath each track to minimize that potential damage.”