Roll-up mat for roadways and the like

A method of covering a surface to protect the surface from vehicle traffic damage, and to facilitate vehicle travel over soft surfaces, the method comprising:

• providing a mat comprising:
• a fabric sheet having right and left side edges, and a plurality of parallel sleeves spaced along a length of the sheet and extending across the sheet substantially perpendicular to the right and left side edges of the sheet;
• and
• a plurality of structural members, each structural member retained in one of the sleeves and extending substantially from the right side edge of the sheet to the left side edge of the sheet;
• rolling the mat up into a substantially cylindrical configuration and transporting the mat to a desired surface area;
• unrolling the mat and positioning the mat over the desired surface area to protect the surface from vehicles driving over the mat, and to facilitate vehicle travel over the surface.