Will AI replace highway maintenance workers?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 4h 8m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The other 3h 52m (48%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.4% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 10 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 4h 8m of a typical shift. 5 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 4 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• 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. (1h 30m a shift; e.g. Yeti Move autonomy on Øveraasen RS 600 runway sweeper/plow machines, in use)
• Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites. (40m a shift; e.g. Kratos Autonomous Truck-Mounted Attenuator (ATMA), leader-follower, in use)
• Perform roadside landscaping work, such as clearing weeds and brush, and planting and trimming trees. (34m a shift; e.g. RC Mowers Autonomous Mowing Robot (AMR), in use)
• Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead. (28m a shift; e.g. Portable/temporary traffic control signals (trailer- and pedestal-mounted, auto mode), in use)

3h 52m of a typical shift, or 48%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement. (45m a shift)
• Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic. (34m a shift)
• Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment. (34m a shift)
• Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools. (34m a shift)
• Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures. (34m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 99% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 94% work outdoors in all weather every day
• 90% work in very hot or cold conditions at least weekly

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Oct 1, 2025: Colorado runs driverless crash trucks behind highway crews (Pilot)

On Indeed, job postings in the Construction sector are at 129% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 6.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 12,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $50,260 a year ($24.16 an hour), 1% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $36,230 and $71,970 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 167,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 12,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 155,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.10% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 208th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 167,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 88% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 52m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators (2h 31m touched, $70k median pay)
• Construction Laborers (1h 35m touched, $47k median pay)
• Pile Driver Operators (0m touched, $73k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 10 with robots in real deployments, 9 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.