The Army is delving into an environmental assessment of a proposed 38-acre expansion of Arlington National Cemetery that it hopes will extend its life by 20 years.
More than 400,000 people are buried at the cemetery, with as many as 30 new burials a day. Without the proposed Southern Expansion Project, the cemetery will run out of room in the mid-2030s.
On Wednesday, cemetery officials held a briefing for reporters on the public on the southern expansion.
The plans call for a land swap with Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The negotiations have been ongoing for several years but no final agreement has been reached.
The Army hopes it can reach a deal with the county and begin construction on the $274 million project in 2018.