AI exposure: 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.
Reading this score
computed41.0% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Bridge and Lock Tenders at the 72th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.2 out of 4 on what a current system can produce, and the frictions that hold other jobs in place are comparatively weak here.
What holds the line here is embodiment. Across this occupation's 18 tasks it averages 1.67 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work has to happen in physical space. A language model cannot move matter. Until the robotics to do this work is both good enough and cheap enough to deploy widely, capability in software does not reach it.
The most exposed thing this job does is Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening..., at 86.7%. The least is Attach ropes or cable lines to bitts on lock decks or wharfs to secure vessels, at 0.0%. A gap of 86.7% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within transportation and material moving occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 52 roles in the group is 24.2%, and only 3 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 18 tasks, 10 are currently banded exposed, 2 assisted and 6 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take capability alone, since there is little structural friction here to slow adoption once a system can do the work. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Task by task
18 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.82 | exposed |
| Maintain and guard stations in bridges to check waterways for boat traffic. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.78 | exposed |
| Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 4.68 | exposed |
| Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 4.32 | exposed |
| Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass. | 64.2% | 23.3% | 12.5% | 4.65 | exposed |
| Write and submit maintenance work requisitions. | 61.3% | 26.2% | 12.5% | 4.43 | exposed |
| Raise drawbridges and observe passage of water traffic or lower drawbridges and raise automobile gates. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.82 | exposed |
| Prepare accident reports. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.06 | exposed |
| Inspect canal and bridge equipment, and areas, such as roadbeds, for damage or defects, reporting problems to supervisors as necessary. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.42 | exposed |
| Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks. | 33.3% | 16.7% | 50.0% | 5.00 | exposed |
| Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 4.90 | assisted |
| Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 4.58 | assisted |
| Stop automobile and pedestrian traffic on bridges, and lower automobile gates prior to moving bridges. | 9.2% | 15.8% | 75.0% | 4.82 | untouched |
| Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening. | 8.3% | 16.7% | 75.0% | 4.91 | untouched |
| Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.84 | untouched |
| Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.50 | untouched |
| Clean and lubricate equipment, and make minor repairs and adjustments. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.56 | untouched |
| Attach ropes or cable lines to bitts on lock decks or wharfs to secure vessels. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.10 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.22 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.67 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.75 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.94 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.25 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.06 | 0-3 |
What this means in practice
Where most of a role's weighted task load is exposed, the work that survives is usually the part of the job nobody wrote into the job description: deciding what should be produced rather than producing it, and being answerable for the result. The tasks lowest on this page are a better guide to where to spend your time than any general advice about the future of work.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.