Did you know there are several tunnels throughout D.C. that connect to Federal buildings? It’s 100% true, and the White House is looking for one more. The Trump White House is planning to construct a new underground screening facility for large groups looking to enter the White House. CBS News reported more on the new underground facility: The Trump administration has proposed the construction of an underground facility to screen visitors to the White House. The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to consider plans for the approximately 33,000-square-foot visitor screening facility that would be built entirely on federal land in Sherman Park, which is located southeast of the White House. The NCPC is the commission that approves construction projects on federal land in the Washington, D.C., region. The plans, listed on the agenda for the NCPC’s April 2 meeting, were developed by the Executive Office of the President in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service, the Interior Department, and the National Park Service. Construction could begin as early as this fall, and could be completed by July 2028. The new facility would allow visitors to queue in multiple entry lanes for an initial ID check, before proceeding to a new lobby and another checkpoint. The proposed screening area would be built to accommodate large groups. Visitors to the White House previously lined up in the nearby park before entering security checkpoints inside trailers and tents. Due to the construction of the White House’s new East Wing ballroom, visitors currently gather at an alternate location in Lafayette Park. Aerial view of where the underground facility would be built: The White House wants to build an underground center to provide security screening for visitors https://t.co/WJYGyTzJTl — LB Press-Telegram (@presstelegram) March 14, 2026 Untapped New York shared these details on the current tunnels that lead to the U.S. Capitol: It’s obvious that urbanists have a fascination with the subterranean, whether of the macabre nature like the catacombs of the world, or of the abandoned, or simply being able to eat and drink below the city surface. Sometimes though, we fail to think of underground fascinations of the more mundane kind. While the Freemasons certainly played a role in the construction of Washington D.C., the persisting rumor that the street grid and other buildings are embedded with Masonic code is likely myth. Nonetheless, it doesn’t feel surprising that networks of underground tunnels (and even a subway just for those on Capitol Hill) were built beneath the city. More unique than the existence of the tunnels is how they’re programmed. At the Capitol, they’re like underground cities, with all the things you would need from the outside world moved indoors. Hallways become streets, marked by the newspaper boxes you would normally find at your corner. Though we first published this article in 2014, the events of January 6, 2021 — when the Capitol was stormed in the midst of the election certification of President-elect Joseph Biden — have brought this underground fascination of ours back to light. According to NBC 4 Investigative reporter Scott MacFarlane, the US Capitol Police warned Cannon House Office Building staff today: “If you are in the Cannon Building, take visitors, escape hoods, and Go Kits and report to the South tunnel connecting to the Longworth Building.” The James Madison Building at the Library of Congress and the Cannon House on Capitol Hill were evacuated. Not only are the many buildings that make Capitol Hill connected by tunnel, but many buildings are also connected by a subway system exclusively used by members of Congress and visitors to Capitol Hill. There’s even an underground Subway system: There’s also this: