Lavallette to Add Beach Access Mats, Experiment With New Brand

AccessRec mats installed at Brick Beach III. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Beach access is increasingly getting easier in Lavallette, with more streets being outfitted with access mats that allow beachgoers – and especially those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility – to have an easier time crossing the dunes.

Known colloquially as “MobiMats,” the dominant industry brand name, the borough has been adding the access mats methodically as grant funding has been obtain to acquire them. The plan, said Councilwoman Anita Zalom, has been to equip all of the “wide streets” with handicap access with the mats first, then branch out. The mats are notably expensive, however, costing tens of thousands of dollars per street. That has led the borough to experiment with a new matting system outside of the “MobiMat” brand with a competing product that is offered through a pre-bid state contract.

The borough council this week voted to award an $18,680 contract to AccessRec for matting to be installed at the Trenton Avenue beach entrance. The borough had already set aside money for the purchase, according to Councilwoman Joanne Filippone.

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Matting at beach entrances has been an in-demand item in recent years, though towns have faced large bills – especially those with dozens of entrances like Lavallette. The AccessRec mats have previously been used by Brick Township at its ocean beaches, however Filippone said in past years, the durability and stitching did not quite measure up to the MobiMats. That, however, has changed recently, prompting the borough to give the competing mat a try.

“They have really improved them over the last two years,” said Filippone. “It’s a lot more affordable, and we’ll see what the feedback is when people start using them.”

AccessRec mats installed at Brick Beach III. (Photo: AccessRec)

AccessRec mats, Filippone said, are made in the United States while MobiMats are made in France, which could potentially lead to longer waits for replacements should the mats ever be damaged in a storm or otherwise. The AccessRec mats are generally manufactured in a light blue color which helps the mark the path to the beach, versus a tan or brown color for MobiMats which tend to blend into the sandy surface – two different approaches toward accomplishing attractive and useful matting.

According to AccessRec, the mats are fully ADA compliant. Lavallette officials reiterated their goal of having all of the streets with handicap-accessible access points outfitted with the mats, before potentially expanding them to additional streets. New York Avenue is also outfitted with matting.