WASHINGTON — The Army will place large metal plates at key points on the streets of Washington to better protect the pavement from the movements of 25 M1 Abrams main battle tanks set to roll through the capital on June 14, a U.S. official told the Associated Press.
The tanks are a key part of a parade that will honor the Army’s 250th birthday and fall on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Since it was announced, the parade has grown in scope and participation, and one of the highlights will be columns of tanks rolling in formation along Constitution Avenue. Each Abrams tank can weigh 60 tons or more and carry a crew of four.
Concerns over the tanks’ weight, and what that would do to D.C.‘s streets, ultimately kept them from being used for a parade during Trump’s first term. The metal plates are seen as the best way to protect the streets Each plate weighs hundreds of pounds and will be placed at points along the parade route where the tanks will turn — and where their metal and rubber-shoed tracking that helps them move can do the most damage, the official said.
In April, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said if the tanks are used on the city’s roads, funding to repair the damage they may do should also be part of the plan. Her office was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
Movement of a single M1 Abrams tank is a loud affair — movement of 25 in unison is expected to be thunderous, the official said.
The parade and celebration will likely cost between $25 million and $45 million, a White House official told The Associated Press. It will involve thousands of troops also marching in formation, in uniforms representing every U.S. conflict dating back to the Revolutionary War, which began in 1775.
Each war will have 60 troops in period costume, followed by 400 troops from that same unit in their regular battle dress uniforms. For example, the Civil War will be represented by the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Carson, Colorado, with 60 soldiers wearing historical costumes and 400 in today’s uniforms.
Overall the parade plans call for about 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters to follow a route from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall.
The late-afternoon parade will be followed by a parachute jump by the Army’s Golden Knights, a concert and the fireworks.