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Will AI replace Highway Maintenance Workers?

Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. The percentage shown is a task-exposure model, not a prediction of certain job loss.

O*NET 30.3 · 47-4051.00 · modeled exposure, not guaranteed job loss
LOW TASK EXPOSURE
11%
Estimated share of representative tasks exposed to current AI capabilities.
Task automation shareⓘ
11%Automatable
Automatable11%
Augmentable49%
Hard to automate40%
Based on analysis of representative responsibilities and current AI capability maturity.
Category#
Trades & Physical
Field & Physical
Modeled pay midpoint$
$92,300/yr
Directional estimate — verify locally
Time until impact⌁
6–10+ years
Earliest 2032 · widespread 2036+
Task-level replaceability ⓘ
Representative tasks ranked from highest to lowest AI exposure.
✦Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings30%
✦Safety responsibility and on-site judgment26%
◇Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.21%
⚙Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.12%
▥Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.12%
Impact timeline ⓘ
How AI assistance may move from early support to wider adoption.
2032Next2036+
Light supportAI provides limited help with set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic..
AugmentationTools improve productivity without owning outcomes.
Human-ledCore work stays anchored in physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
6–10+ yearsdirectional confidence window
HOW AI CHANGES THIS JOBtyping the logic in plain English
01>Start with the real work done by Highway Maintenance Workers.
02>AI can help with: Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
03>If a task is repetitive and easy to check, AI pressure goes up.
04>But a person is still needed for: Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
05>Likely result: AI mostly acts as a helper while the core job stays human-led.
06>Important: 11% is estimated task exposure—not a 11% chance of losing the job.
What AI can do
Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.LOW MATCH
Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.LOW MATCH
Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.LOW MATCH
How estimates work →
Your human moat
◆

Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings

HIGH MOAT

Combined with safety responsibility and on-site judgment, this keeps a human in the loop.

Strength9.8
Similar-role comparison
RoleRisk
Highway Maintenance Workers11%
Electrician10%
Carpet Installers12%
Solar Photovoltaic Installers10%
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Why this score?

✓The model evaluates 3 representative core tasks.
✓The core work depends on presence, dexterity, or accountability.
✓Occupation and task language comes from O*NET 30.3.
✓The strongest human advantage is physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
Research basis

O*NET 30.3 occupation tasks plus the ILO 2025 exposure framework. Scores are directional estimates.

Read ILO research →
Data: O*NET 30.3 · Model framework: ILO 2025About O*NETShare report
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Electrician · 10% exposureCarpet Installers · 12% exposureSolar Photovoltaic Installers · 10% exposure