The nation’s infrastructure depends on well-maintained highways, rural roads, and even airport runways. Highway maintenance workers can get jobs with the government or contractors and earn a decent salary while providing a valuable public service.
There are a large number of these jobs available, mostly through local governments. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 142,530 highway maintenance workers in May of 2010. About 102,000 of those highway maintenance jobs were with local governments. State governments also hired about 35,000. Other categories of employers who provided jobs in highway maintenance are firms doing highway, street, and bridge construction, employment services, and support activities for road transportation. Those last three categories, however, only hire from a few hundred to a couple of thousand workers.
New York is the clear leader in terms of number of jobs in this profession, and the top 5 cities are St. Louis, the New York City area, the Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington area, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.
Although no specific training is required, there is certainly enough demand for these jobs that you should at least have a high school diploma. You will learn mainly on the job, but it would be nice to have some experience in the construction industry or training courses at community colleges or technical schools. For example, classes in civil engineering technology would look great on a resume when applying for a position as a highway maintenance worker.
The Education-Portal website has some colleges and technical schools that teach civil engineering technology. Of course, as a side benefit, you may also get a job as a civil engineering technician if you complete one of these courses.
Once you get a job, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found in the study cited above that the median salary was $34,780. This is obviously not a large income compared to many jobs. But it is a steady job, and employment will likely increase slightly over the years as more highways are built and need regular maintenance.
Resources:
Education-Portal Degree Programs and Schools that Teach Civil Engineering Technology
Bureau of Labor Statistics Job and Salary Details for Highway Maintenance Workers