DESCRIPTION
Highway maintenance workers maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement, repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road or plow snow from roadway.
WHAT YOU'LL 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.
SKILLS & ABILITIES REQUIRED
- Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
- Bituminous material distributors — Bituminous pavers; Tar distributors; Windrow loaders
- Drain or pipe cleaning equipment — Catch basin vacuum cleaners; Culvert cleaners; Sewer cleaners; Sewer eels
- Dump trucks — 10-ton tandem-axle dump trucks; 8-ton dump trucks; Belly dump tractor trailers
- Mowers — Rear brush hog mowers; Rear flail mowers; Side-mount rotary mowers; Tractor-mounted mowers
AT A GLANCE
AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE
The average annual wage is $38,130 or $18.33/hour.
SALARY RANGE
Annual salaries range betweeen $24,470 and $56,820.
JOB OPENINGS (THROUGH 2026)
16,500
DEMAND (THROUGH 2026)
★★✩✩ Moderate
EDUCATION & TRAINING REQUIRED
On average, 88% had a high school diploma or equivalent. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.