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Highway Maintenance Worker

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What Do Highway Maintenance Worker Do?

Highway Maintenance Worker Example 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.

Daily Life Of a Highway Maintenance Worker

  • Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
  • Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
  • Blend compounds to form adhesive mixtures used for marker installation.
  • Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
  • Paint traffic control lines and place pavement traffic messages, by hand or using machines.
  • Apply oil to road surfaces, using sprayers.

Highway Maintenance Worker Needed Skills

Below is a list of the skills most Highway Maintenance Workers say are important on the job.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

  • Traffic Control Specialist
  • Materials Handling Equipment Operator
  • Road Patcher
  • Material Handler
  • Highway Maintenance Crew Worker

Is There Going to be Demand for Highway Maintenance Workers?

There were about 149,900 jobs for Highway Maintenance Worker in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.9% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 10,300 new jobs for Highway Maintenance Worker by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 16,500 job openings in this field each year.

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The states with the most job growth for Highway Maintenance Worker are Texas, Utah, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in New Jersey, Vermont, or Delaware. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for a Highway Maintenance Worker

The typical yearly salary for Highway Maintenance Workers is somewhere between $26,030 and $59,420.

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Highway Maintenance Workers who work in California, Connecticut, or Oregon, make the highest salaries.

How much do Highway Maintenance Workers make in each U.S. state?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $30,150
Alaska $42,670
Arizona $39,130
Arkansas $30,070
California $57,070
Colorado $42,690
Connecticut $52,940
Delaware $39,390
Florida $35,780
Georgia $29,590
Hawaii $43,060
Idaho $40,920
Illinois $49,680
Indiana $36,830
Iowa $47,580
Kansas $35,660
Kentucky $33,300
Louisiana $31,260
Maine $35,610
Maryland $37,710
Massachusetts $50,000
Michigan $42,990
Minnesota $48,970
Mississippi $27,260
Missouri $35,520
Montana $44,480
Nebraska $36,920
Nevada $43,830
New Hampshire $37,910
New Jersey $44,550
New Mexico $34,960
New York $45,880
North Carolina $36,680
North Dakota $47,370
Ohio $42,000
Oklahoma $33,070
Oregon $50,320
Pennsylvania $42,630
Rhode Island $45,130
South Carolina $29,980
South Dakota $34,650
Tennessee $32,130
Texas $37,700
Utah $40,740
Vermont $42,050
Virginia $37,460
Washington $52,230
West Virginia $38,830
Wisconsin $43,110
Wyoming $41,730

Tools & Technologies Used by Highway Maintenance Workers

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Highway Maintenance Workers:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Web browser software
  • Word processing software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Database software

Becoming a Highway Maintenance Worker

What education is needed to be a Highway Maintenance Worker?

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Where do Highway Maintenance Workers Work?

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The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

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Similar Careers

Those thinking about becoming a Highway Maintenance Worker might also be interested in the following careers:

Career changers with experience as a Highway Maintenance Worker sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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