How Road Mats Protect the Environment and Provide Access to Inaccessible Terrains

Road mats are used where roading needs are only going to be temporary or where it would be too expensive to develop a permanent roadway. Road mats are also used in environmentally sensitive areas where development of a full-scale roadway is simply not feasible due to regulations and or environmental concerns. Commonly used road or swamp mats are usually large square or rectangular shaped. Road mats are designed to be placed directly onto different types of surfaces that even include ice, snow, or pathces of open water.

Rig mats are a type of road mats. They get the name Rig in reference to Oilrigs as they are used to provide temporary roading to Oilrigs. Similarly, Swamp mats are so called because they provide access over swampy terrain. The costs in using Rig mats can be many times offset by the profits and advantages of having Rig mats in place. The obvious advantage is the ability to increase the Drilling season many Rigs are shut down during long wet periods or during winter snows because of poor or difficult access problems. Some not so obvious benefits though are because road mats are temporary there is a lot less harm done to the environment. This is a benefinacial point to raise when applying for permits and resource consents, and it can also help to appease some environmentalists concerns.

You hear many stories in the Oil and Gas industry of very expensive heavy equipment sinking out of sight into bogs and swamps. This can be avoided through the use of Rig Mats or Swamp mats. Canada and Alaska have more oil reserves than the Middle East however they also have an entirely different terrain and ecosphere. Whilst the middle East access is often easy and doesn’t require the use of Road mats, Canada and even more so Alaska have large areas of swamp, bogs and wetlands. There are also prolonged periods of rain and snow that would prevent access to oilrigs and mining locations if Road mats were not utilized.

The Average Rig mat’s life is around ten years but some good quality designs can last up to 15 years or even longer. Most Rig mats suppliers have specialized equipment to aid in the laying out of the mats. It is possible for mats to support very heavy traffic by using wider treads. The ideal road mat should be available in large widths and should be able to interlock with other road mats to form a continuous road mat that will keep together even in storms. Also, the insides should be reflective so that grass or other plants could grow through it easier.

There are always new developments in technology and changes in environmental law that are important to take into account when choosing your Rig mat provider. Some types of Rig mats have a common problem whereby they are restricted in their ability to interlock; they do not provide for an even surface when placed on undulating sub soils; they do not provide for effective weight transfer between the structures. Besides that, some are really not designed for ease of installation and removal. This is caused by difficulties with the unlocking of the road platform. Another problem some makes of road mats cause is for wildlife traversing across the mats to be injured due to the large joint gaps created and required by the mats interlocking system. Composite mats address these issues by providing a lightweight, interlocking alternative that is better for the environment, and easy to install and remove.