Highway Maintenance Workers
Machines can already do 23% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 62%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Highway Maintenance Workers in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 23% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2033, and 62% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 154,960 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $50,260 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 78% for contact with people.
- Also called: Equipment Operator (EO), Highway Maintainer, Highway Maintenance Crew Worker, Highway Maintenance Technician.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand | 19% | 30% to 75% | |
| Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement | 9% | 3% to 30% | |
| Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites | 8% | 30% to 75% | |
| Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment | 7% | 3% to 30% | |
| Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Perform roadside landscaping work, such as clearing weeds and brush, and planting and trimming trees | 7% | 30% to 75% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills highway maintenance workers use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Sailors and Marine Oilers57% of tasks by 2035 · US median $51,520
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders60% of tasks by 2035 · US median $48,250
- Funeral Attendants53% of tasks by 2035 · US median $35,680
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers52% of tasks by 2035 · US median $38,150
What should you do about it?
Open this job in the Workforce Starburst to see it for your country, then use these to act on it.
Watch This Job
Get told when the outlook for this job changes.
Free planSkills to learn next
The skills that make this job, or the next one, last longer.
In the StarburstCheck your readiness
Ten quick questions on how ready you are.
FreeAsk Vantage
Ask what this job means for you and get a sourced answer.
Free to askFutures Academy courses
Courses matched to your gaps.
Coming soonPay trend
Where pay for this job is heading.
Coming soonTeam plan
Every role in your team, side by side, with a plan for each.
Pro and CorporateShared workspace
Work through it with your team, with notes and decisions kept.
Pro and Corporate
Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Highway Maintenance Workers?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2033. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of highway maintenance workers?
Machines can do 23% of the tasks of highway maintenance workers today and 62% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 47-4051.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Highway Maintenance Workers: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/highway-maintenance-workers/