NORTH ADAMS — After years of closed overlooks and restricted access at Natural Bridge State Park, state officials will update the public on the site’s ongoing redesign and seek feedback during an online meeting.

On July 8, the Department of Conservation and Recreation will host a Zoom meeting and update the redesign effort, first announced in 2023. The project is intended to preserve the park's white marble arch, while adding improvements like accessible overlooks, stabilizing historic structures on site and more parking.

In 2022, the state closed an unsafe platform over the 60-foot chasm that holds Hudson Brook, along with other footpaths and platforms in the park, one of the first steps in the project. Many of those areas have been blocked off ever since.

The park gets its name from its natural white arch made of 550-million-year-old bedrock marble that was carved by a glacial melt some 13,000 years ago.

The bridge spans Hudson Brook as it runs through a 60-foot gorge, which DCR calls “one of the best demonstrations of glacial erosion in New England.”

Next week’s presentation, over Zoom, will update attendees on the current design and development process, and also learn about the next two phases that DCR is planning to improve the site.

Phase 1 is focused on stabilizing the historic penstock, which was the large pipe that used to direct the water, and former mill on site, according to a release about the event from DCR.

In 2022, the Department of Conservation and Recreation closed the viewing platform over the chasm at Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams because it was not safe. One of the three viewing platforms that is closed below the chasm is seen over the sign that blocks the entrance.

Proposed Phase 2 site improvements include improved parking and visitor center arrival areas, expanded universal access, and a “reimagined chasm viewing experience” with new accessible overlooks of the dam, brook, and natural bridge.

State Rep. John Barrett III told The Eagle in 2023 that state parks in the northern Berkshires have been neglected. “Natural Bridge is probably the worst of them all,” he said.

The park contains North America’s only white marble dam, built in 1838. It was first used to supply water to an industrial quarry mill that operated from 1810 to 1947.

From 1950 to 1983, the site was privately owned and operated by the Elder Family as a Mohawk Trail tourist attraction with boardwalks allowing visitors to view the chasm.

In 1985, Massachusetts purchased the property to create a state park now known as Natural Bridge State Park.

The park is open from May through October, and it will remain open during construction, though certain areas may be temporarily blocked off.

Attendees will be invited to provide comments after the presentation by speaking or using a chat function in the video call. Additional feedback after the event can be shared with DCR by July 22 through its public comment portal.