Highway maintenance workers make basic repairs to highways and rural roads.

Highway maintenance workers do minor repairs. For example, they fill potholes and cracked road surfaces. They also may clean and repair tunnels and small bridges.

Highway maintenance workers drive trucks with coworkers and equipment to work sites. Workers set up signs to warn drivers of construction work or to direct traffic around work areas. Some workers may flag drivers to slow down or divert them to another lane.

Maintenance workers perform many different duties. They install road markers and other signs. To do this, they take measurements and use tape, string, or chalk to mark sign locations. They use hand and power tools to dig holes and erect the signs. They use a similar process to install and repair guardrails and snow fences. When button-type lane markers break or detach, maintenance workers repair them. In addition, they paint lane markers. They may also repair lights.

In the winter, maintenance workers drive trucks equipped with snow plows or snow blowers to clear the roads. In the summer, they drive mowers to cut grass along highways. They also perform other landscaping duties, such as planting, trimming, and weeding. They may also clean litter and debris from roads, ditches, and drains. In addition, they may use chemicals to get rid of rodents and unwanted brush.

To repair broken pavement, maintenance workers use power tools to break pavement into smaller sections. They use other equipment to remove the broken sections. They fill the holes with asphalt and operate tamping equipment to tightly pack the asphalt.