Moses quickly sought to obtain approval from the United States Department of War, which needed to approve the plan. He also started looking for PWA and RFC financing so the bridge could be completed by July 1941. As part of the approval process, the United States Army held a public hearing to solicit opinions on the bridge plan. Seventeen civic groups formed a committee to solidify their opposition to the bridge plans, and the Municipal Art Society criticized the proposed bridge as an act of "vandalism" toward the city's public parks. Opponents claimed that the bridge would block naval traffic, a suggestion that La Guardia and Moses refuted.