The Approved Construction Equipment List (ACEL) is for equipment that can be used on any construction project statewide under specified conditions as listed in the approval. The ACEL has two parts:

  1. Assess the ability of construction equipment to safely cross a non-load posted bridge from one end to the other without having to load the equipment onto a transport.
  2. Assess the ability of access equipment without outriggers to perform work on non-load posted bridges. Typical access equipment is an Under Bridge Inspection Equipment (UBIV) with a platform or bucket for use performing cleaning and repairs on the underside of the bridge.

ACEL applications can take up to 90 days to review, so plan construction projects accordingly. MDT encourages contractors to submit equipment for consideration for the ACEL at any time. Due to the length of time it takes to analyze equipment for the ACEL, equipment should not be submitted for use in current projects.

Equipment on the ACEL only applies to bridges that are not load posted and have their original in-service capacity (without milled decks and other work that would reduce the capacity of the bridge).

Equipment on the ACEL is not analyzed or approved to operate on any bridge unless specifically stated within the approval (access equipment operations will note approved operations).

Equipment that has been analyzed and found unacceptable for statewide use can be found in the Denied Equipment List on this website.

It’s possible that equipment denied on the ACEL is safe to cross bridges within a specific project. Analysis for specific projects is covered under the Construction Equipment on Structures Special Provision.

If your company would like to submit equipment to be considered for inclusion in the ACEL, provide an application to MDT at: mdtacelXYZmtABCgov. Equipment information that must be provided for MDT to complete an ACEL analysis is listed below.

  • Equipment manufacturer’s product specifications
  • Detailed dimensions and data for equipment on wheels
    • Equipment Width (dimensions A and B)
      dimensions A and B
    • Equipment Length (center of front axle to center of rear axle)
    • Number of axles
    • Distance between axles (center of tire to center of tire)
    • Maximum Gross Equipment Weight
  • Detailed dimensions and data for equipment on tracks
    • Equipment Width (center of track to center of track – if there is only one line of tracks, note this in the measurements
    • Equipment Length (center of front track to center of rear track)
    • Number of tracks in each track line
    • Length of each track
    • Maximum Gross Equipment Weight
  • Information on any equipment modifications on your equipment (note that some modifications may preclude inclusion onto the ACEL)
  • Contractor’s contact information for ACEL analysis-related correspondence or follow-up information.

The following will not be allowed:

  • Equipment with deployed outriggers
  • Any type of equipment train other than two attached pieces of equipment that cannot be easily detached to cross a bridge during construction operations
  • The presence of any other construction equipment on the bridge at the same time as the ACEL equipment

MDT will respond within 2 weeks to acknowledge receipt of the application and to request additional information if needed.

Approved Construction Equipment and associated operating conditions are linked in the right sidebar.

Denied Construction Equipment are linked in the right sidebar.