Will AI replace Bridge and Lock Tenders?

What this score means

Bridge and Lock Tenders is among the least exposed roles in Transportation. Most of what the job involves still sits outside what current AI can do, even as the tools around it keep changing. At 17 out of 100 it sits close to the Transportation average of 18. Across the 3 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 12 to 20, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Bridge and Lock Tenders, most central first, showing 12 of 18.

• 01Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
• 02Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
• 03Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.
• 04Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.
• 05Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.
• 06Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms.
• 07Write and submit maintenance work requisitions.
• 08Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions.
• 09Prepare accident reports.
• 10Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order.
• 11Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.
• 12Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 3 research sources that scored Bridge and Lock Tenders for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

• 01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026
• 02GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024
• 03AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023

Also covers

Bridge Crew Member · Bridge Leverman · Bridge Opener · Bridge Operator · Bridge Saw Operator · Bridge Tender · Bridgeman · Crossing Tender and related titles

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