Bridge and Lock Tender

Explore This Path

Ideal for those who love working near water and ensuring safe marine passage.
Play a crucial role in managing waterways, supporting smooth and efficient vessel transit.
Unique chance to operate bridges and locks, guiding vessels with precision and skill.

💰 Earn $53K-$71K

📚 High School Diploma or GED

⏱️ 6–12 MONTH TRAINING

📈 0.5% JOB GROWTH

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What You’ll Do

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.

Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.
Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.
Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.

Scoop

Minimum Education

High School Diploma or GED

Career Prospects

Steady (Staying constant (within 1%))

Training Time

6 months to 1 year

Job Openings

400 Annually

Median Earnings

$56,060 in California

$49,120 Nationally

$25K

$50K

$75K

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$250K

Best For You If...

YOU Like 💕

Influencing or leading others
Using data or completing tasks
Working with my hands

You are skilled in 💫

Active Listening
Monitoring
Operation and Control
Operations Monitoring
Reading Comprehension
Speaking

You value 🙏

Having support
Job security
Personal relationships

Deep Dive

Bridge and Lock Tender

Explore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.

Pathways to this Career

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Strategic Employment

Strategic employment provides individuals with valuable work experience, opportunities for professional growth and networking, and exposure to an industry where they may want to pursue advancement.

🎓 Paid Work

⏱️ FINISH IN 1-3 years

Vocational School

A vocational school typically equips students with specialized skills and practical training in specific trades or occupations, enhancing their employability and providing direct pathways to relevant careers.

🎓 Skills-Focused

⏱️ FINISH IN 6 months - 2 years

Workforce Development Program

A workforce development program typically enhances participants' opportunities to succeed in the workforce through employment skill-building, career counseling, connections to employers, and pathways to high-demand and high-wage jobs.

🎓 Skills-Focused

⏱️ FINISH IN 6 months - 2 years

Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship typically offers a combination of hands-on training and classroom instruction, leading to practical skills, industry-specific knowledge, and the potential for long-term employment in a specific trade or profession.

🎓 Paid Work

⏱️ FINISH IN 2-5 years