Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails

Openings in Beach Access Routes

Openings are gaps in the surface of a beach access route. Gaps include spaces between the planks on a boardwalk and drainage holes in temporary or permanent surfaces. Openings that are big enough to allow wheels, cane or crutch tips, or shoe heels to drop through or get stuck are hazards that shouldn't exist in pedestrian routes. Openings up to a half of an inch (13 millimeters) wide are permitted. Place elongated openings more than a quarter of an inch wide with the long dimension perpendicular or diagonal to the primary direction of travel (see figure 44).