Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails

Openings in Outdoor Recreation Access Route Surfaces

Openings are gaps in the surface of an outdoor recreation access route. Gaps include spaces between the planks on a boardwalk or in a drainage grate. 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 occur in pedestrian routes (figure 43). Openings up to a half of an inch (13 millimeters) wide are permitted. Place elongated openings that are more than a quarter of an inch wide with the long dimension perpendicular or diagonal to the primary direction of travel (figure 44).

Figure 43—Big openings in outdoor recreation access route surfaces create problems.

Figure 44—Elongated openings must be perpendicular to the direction of travel.