United States
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance
Board
1331 F Street, NW $ Washington, DC 20004-1111 $ 202-272-5434 (Voice) $ 202-272-5449 (TTY) $ 202-272-5447
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Summary of Scoping and Technical Provisions
Trails, Outdoor Recreation Access Routes, and Beaches
January 1999 Meeting
The Regulatory Negotiation Committee on Outdoor Developed Areas reached preliminary conceptual agreement on the technical and scoping provisions for these areas.
TRAILS
Based on extensive debate and public input, the approach for trail accessibility represents significant departure from earlier proposals.
Concerns about complexity, quotas, and other issues, led to the current approach.
Scoping provisions for trails are simplified and address the variety of conditions and circumstances that exist in the outdoor environment.
Conceptual conditional departures are included to address circumstances were accessibility may be limited or, in some cases, not possible.
Different technical provisions were developed for trails and for outdoor recreation access routes. Technical provisions address the width, surface, slope, and other characteristics of the trail/outdoor recreation access route.
Central to this new approach is a series of conditions that permit designers and those involved with constructing new trails to depart from the technical provisions.
The conditions identified prevent designers and those constructing trails from fully complying with the specific technical provisions, such as width, slope, protruding objects, etc.
Scoping Provisions for Trails
Newly constructed trails and trail segments shall meet the following technical provisions. Departure from a specific provisions is permitted where it can be demonstrated that compliance with the provision would cause substantial harm to:
Significant natural, cultural, historic or religious characteristics of a site.
Alter the fundamental experience of the setting or intended purpose of the trail.
Require construction methods that are prohibited by federal, state, or local regulations.
Where the characteristics of the terrain (e.g., slope, soils, geological or aquatic prevent compliance with the technical provision.
For example, when designing a new trail, meeting the minimum clear width requirement of 36 inches may not be possible. This may not be possible because in doing so, there would be substantial harm to a significant natural feature preventing the opportunity to achieve a 36-inch width. In this case, the next step is to attempt to provide a 32-inch width (see exception to minimum clear width). If this were not possible, there would be no further requirement to affect the width of the trail. All other technical provisions (i.e., slope, protruding objects, etc.) would apply except where conditional departures are triggered.
No documentation is required when departures are used based on the conditions.
Summary of Technical Provisions for Trails
| Surfaces | Firm and stable | |||||||||||||||
| Clear tread width | 36" exception 32" | |||||||||||||||
| Openings | 1/2" max. Exception: 3/4" limited to perpendicular direction of travel. | |||||||||||||||
| Protruding objects | Comply with ADAAG 4.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Tread Obstacles | 2" high max. Exception 1: 3" high where running slope and cross slope are 5% or less. Exception 2:1" max where running or cross slope is greater than 5% max. | |||||||||||||||
| Passing space | Where width is less than 60", passing space every 1000’. (turning circle or tshape) | |||||||||||||||
| Running slope (NOTE: running slope greater than 5% not permitted where the cross slope exceeds 5%) *Resting intervals shall be provided in these conditions) |
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| Cross slope (NOTE: Cross slope greater than 5% not permitted where the running slope exceeds 5%) |
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| Resting intervals | Where required, 60" mm length/5% max slope | |||||||||||||||
| Edge protection | Where provided, 4" minimum. |
Issues to be resolved include:
new trails or trail segments in the "middle of nowhere"
requirement to resume application of specific technical provisions where you have departed
application of remaining technical provisions where you depart from a number of individual technical provisions
number of departures to be considered "too much"
concerns about legal constraints (i.e., deed restrictions)
definition of a "trail"
maintenance vs. alterations - differences/on-going maintenance
alterations - what is triggered?
signage for trails
Outdoor Recreation Access Routes
Outdoor recreation access routes connect the primary accessible elements basic to the recreation experience on a recreation site.
Elements, such as benches and picnic tables, located on a Atrail@ are not required to be connected by the outdoor recreation access route.
Summary of Technical Provisions for Outdoor Recreation Access Routes
| Minimum clear tread width | 36", Exception: 32" for 24" |
| Sustained running grade | 1:20 5% Exception: 1:12 8% no handrails required |
| Max grade distance | 8% 50' 10% -30’ |
| Cross slope | 3% Exception: 5% only as conditions including drainage |
| Passing space | If 36", 200 Exception: as soon as possible, not more than 300’ |
| Level change | 1"-2" beveled, +2" then |
| Surface | Firm and stable |
| Rest areas on the route | Recommended at 400’, 900’, 1200’ intervals |
In new construction, accessible picnic and camping elements are required to be connected with an outdoor recreation access route.
The scoping and technical provisions for picnic and camping elements will be included in the attachment to the meeting minutes.
Beaches
Scoping and Technical Provisions for Beaches
Requirements for an accessible beach route are triggered where pedestrian routes are provided.
Differentiates between natural and man-made beaches.
Provides specific technical provisions for the accessible beach route. These technical provisions are similar to those developed for the outdoor recreation access route.
Allows route to be either permanent or temporary.
Includes the option to depart from the technical provisions based on certain conditions.
Detailed technical and scoping provisions will be provided in the attachment to the January meeting minutes.