Bridge and Lock Tenders
Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.
3,040 people do this job in the US. $57,700 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 15%
- 0%
- 85%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 5%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 15%. Today's estimate: 15%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 18 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain and guard stations in bridges to check waterways for boat traffic.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 18% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Inspect canal and bridge equipment, and areas, such as roadbeds, for damage or defects, reporting problems to supervisors as necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 8 min3 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 8 min3 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Raise drawbridges and observe passage of water traffic or lower drawbridges and raise automobile gates.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Stays with people | |
| Attach ropes or cable lines to bitts on lock decks or wharfs to secure vessels.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers7% now, 7% by 2028
- Motorboat Operators5% now, 5% by 2028
- Hoist and Winch Operators0% now, 0% by 2028
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers12% now, 12% by 2028
- Locomotive Engineers3% now, 3% by 2028
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels5% now, 8% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).