A United States federal judge has ordered a temporary block on construction of President Donald Trump's planned triumphal arch in Washington DC.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday imposed a 14 day pause on any work on the roughly 250 foot (76 metre) structure, even though the administration had said building could start as soon as Thursday. The National Capital Planning Commission held a nine hour hearing the day before and voted 8 to 4 to approve the arch despite dozens of witnesses who opposed it.

Lawsuits challenging the project include one filed in February by a group of Vietnam war veterans. Trump has proposed siting the arch near Arlington National Cemetery, prompting concern that it could interrupt the carefully designed line of sight between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. Veterans argued in court papers that the vista was meant to symbolise national unity after the Civil War.

Trump first floated the arch last year to mark 250 years of US independence, comparing it to famous European arches such as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Critics have mocked the scheme as an Arc de Trump. It is one of several Washington projects he has pushed; on Friday he also signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument.

Many of his capital plans have already been blocked by judges. After Democrats won control of Congress in this week's midterms, further projects are expected to face sharper scrutiny. For now the arch sits under a short court pause while litigation continues.