Long Beach could install its first ADA beach access paths at Granda and Alamitos beaches before this summer, according to a city memo.

A Nov. 30 memo from Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Director Brent Dennis to the city manager said that a total of three beaches could ultimately end up with an ADA access mat installed, with Mothers Beach being the third location.

The access mats the city is looking at installing are made of non-slip neoprene that would allow wheelchairs, walkers and strollers to roll over the sand to get closer to the water.

All three locations will require approval from the California Coastal Commission, something that could happen as soon as February, according to the memo. Permits for the Granada and Alamitos locations have been submitted and a request for the Mothers Beach location is expected to be submitted by the end of year, according to the memo.

The City Council requested in July that the city look into placing access mats on the city’s beaches. Similar mats are already installed at locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties with Torrance, Venice Beach and Huntington Beach all having installed them earlier this year.

The cost of installing the three access mats is projected to cost $45,796, but the funding was already allocated as part of the budget that was approved by the council in September.

An image attached to the city memo showing how the Alamitos Beach access mat could be positioned.

All of the mats are expected to be T-shaped with lengths varying between the three locations.

The Granada access mat will extend from the end of the paved vehicle access point next to the Granada Beach concession stand and will run for 100 feet. The Mother’s Beach mat will extend from the pavement near the beach’s playground and run for 64 feet.

The Alamitos Beach mat is expected to be the longest and the most expensive ($26,818) of the three. The 475-foot mat will extend from a vehicle access point in front of the Alamitos Beach concession stand.

All of the mats will be connected to a perpendicular section of mat that will be approximately 31-feet wide, according to plans attached to the memo.

The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to meet from Feb. 9 through Feb. 11, and if it approves the city’s permits for the ADA access mats they could be installed by April or May.

Long Beach could make city beaches more accessible using ADA-friendly mats

Jason Ruiz covers City Hall and politics for the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or @JasonRuiz_LB on Twitter.