Washington ? Restoration work is set to begin next month on the cracked and neglected District of Columbia War Memorial that honors World War I veterans on the National Mall.

The National Park Service announced Friday that a $2.3 million contract funded by the federal stimulus package has been awarded to Forrester Construction Co. and Lorton Stone LLC.

Contractors will clean and restore the stone and re-point the memorial’s joints. Electrical systems and lighting will be replaced. Landscaping will be overhauled and nonnative plants removed to restore an open lawn around the memorial.

New bluestone paving will be modeled on the original 1930s design.