ConstructionO*NET: 47-4051.00
Will AI Replace Highway Maintenance Workers?
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.
70out of 100
High Risk
AI Risk Score
70/100
Risk Level
High
Job Zone
2/5
Entry
Total Tasks Analyzed
12
🤖 What AI Can Do
- â–¸Automate routine data processing tasks in highway maintenance workers roles
- â–¸Generate reports and analyze structured data
- â–¸Handle repetitive document processing and filing
- â–¸Assist with scheduling and calendar management
- â–¸Draft initial communications and correspondence
- â–¸Provide data-driven insights and recommendations
👤 What Requires Humans
- â–¸Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- â–¸Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
- â–¸Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- â–¸Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
- â–¸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.
- â–¸Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
Task Breakdown
👤Requires Humans (9)
- Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
- Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
- 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.
- Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
- Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.
- Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement.
- Perform roadside landscaping work, such as clearing weeds and brush, and planting and trimming trees.
âš¡AI-Assisted (3)
- Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
- Remove litter and debris from roadways, including debris from rock and mud slides.
Key Skills Analysis
Operation and Control
Importance: 3.62/5.00
Operations MonitoringAI-Vulnerable
Importance: 3.50/5.00
Monitoring
Importance: 3.12/5.00
CoordinationAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.12/5.00
Active Listening
Importance: 3.00/5.00
Speaking
Importance: 3.00/5.00
Complex Problem SolvingAI-Resistant
Importance: 3.00/5.00
Critical ThinkingAI-Resistant
Importance: 2.88/5.00
Social PerceptivenessAI-Resistant
Importance: 2.88/5.00
Troubleshooting
Importance: 2.88/5.00
Quality Control AnalysisAI-Vulnerable
Importance: 2.88/5.00
Judgment and Decision MakingAI-Resistant
Importance: 2.88/5.00
Reading ComprehensionAI-Vulnerable
Importance: 2.75/5.00
Time ManagementAI-Resistant
Importance: 2.75/5.00
PersuasionAI-Resistant
Importance: 2.50/5.00
Related Occupations
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
64/100 — High Risk
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
85/100 — Critical Risk
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
53/100 — Medium Risk
Pile Driver Operators
86/100 — Critical Risk
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
63/100 — High Risk
Future-Proof Your Career
Whether AI poses a high or low risk to your role, staying ahead means continuous learning. Explore courses to build AI-resistant skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on our analysis, Highway Maintenance Workers have a high risk of AI replacement with a score of 70/100. Many routine tasks in this role can be automated, but human oversight remains important.
Last updated: 2026-03-28· Data from O*NET 30.2 & Frey/Osborne automation research