Work begins on World War II memorial

An artist's rendering of the proposed National World War II Memorial

From Brad Wright
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite unresolved legal battles over the project, the first tangible work on the controversial National World War II Memorial began Monday at the construction site on the National Mall.

Surveyors began mapping out where existing utilities are and where new utility lines will be placed. Project trailers, security fencing and temporary parking areas probably will be set up next week. Actual construction of the memorial itself should begin in late September.

The $163 million project has been bitterly opposed by some veterans groups and others who said it is too big for the space and will ruin the view between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is considering an appeal by a coalition of groups opposed to the project seeking an order to halt construction. A federal judge threw out the suit nearly two weeks ago. Last spring, President Bush signed a bill ending lawsuits and procedural hitches that have held up the start of construction on the monument for eight years.

Mike Conley, spokesman for the American Battle Monuments Commission, said most passers-by won't notice any granite structures emerging from the site for about a year and a half.

The construction site is on what is called the mall's "central axis," roughly halfway between the White House and the Jefferson Memorial and a point between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.