As of June 2026, Bridge and Lock Tenders has an AI-exposure score of 64/100 (High exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Bridge and Lock Tenders
More exposed than 80% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$57,700. About 300 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How you compare to similar Transportation roles
Your tasks, by AI exposure
- Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.
- Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions.
- Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.
- Maintain and guard stations in bridges to check waterways for boat traffic.
- Write and submit maintenance work requisitions.
- Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.
- Raise drawbridges and observe passage of water traffic or lower drawbridges and raise automobile gates.
- Prepare accident reports.
- Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening.
- Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
- Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms.
- Attach ropes or cable lines to bitts on lock decks or wharfs to secure vessels.
- Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.
- Stop automobile and pedestrian traffic on bridges, and lower automobile gates prior to moving bridges.
- Clean and lubricate equipment, and make minor repairs and adjustments.
- Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
- Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order.
- Inspect canal and bridge equipment, and areas, such as roadbeds, for damage or defects, reporting problems to supervisors as necessary.
No durable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as automatable (50%).
Safer adjacent roles
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AI was the most-cited reason for U.S. layoffs through mid-2026 — the workers who adapt earliest fare best. — Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 2026The upside: Workers with AI skills earn a roughly 62% wage premium — adapting pays. — PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer, 2026
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