The National World War I Memorial slated for D.C.’s Pershing Park has received final approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, five years after Congress authorized the memorial and its downtown site.

“This final approval takes us a giant step toward beginning the construction of this long-overdue tribute in our nation’s capital to the 4.7 million Americans who served in America’s armed forces in World War I,” Terry Hamby, chair of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, said in a statement.

The final step is an upcoming review by the National Capital Planning Commission. With that expected approval in hand, the commission will work with the National Park Service, owner of Pershing Park, to finalize permits and get to work this fall. The Doughboy Foundation is leading the $35 million project.

Architect Joseph Weishaar’s design, selected in 2015 from roughly 350 entries, features a monumental bronze by sculptor Sabin Howard. The bronze, titled “A Soldier’s Journey,”…