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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $49,070 in the US and is projected to grow 3% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.42 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include types of asphalt coverings, mechanical tools, asphalt mixes, remove road surface, work ergonomically.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £28,591 a year for Elementary construction occupations n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £24,654 to £34,378 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 9129). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Elementary occupations” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Highway maintenance workers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 9. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
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Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Transportation
- Building and Construction
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
What you'd actually do
- Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- 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.
- Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Highway maintenance workers do?
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.
How much does Highway maintenance workers earn?
The median annual salary for Highway maintenance workers in the US is $49,070.
What is the job outlook for Highway maintenance workers?
The role is projected to grow 3% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 159,100 workers.
How do I become highway maintenance workers?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Highway maintenance workers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include types of asphalt coverings, mechanical tools, asphalt mixes, remove road surface, work ergonomically, work safely with hot materials. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Highway maintenance workers?
Our AI-durability model gives Highway maintenance workers a score of 0.42 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Highway maintenance workers has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.