In an industry built on tough shifts and tougher people, Kailyn Braddock has found her lane—and she’s painting it, one long night at a time.
Braddock, based in Maine, thrives in a world most people don’t see. Night after night, she hits the road armed with blueprints, buckets of thermoplastic paint and a job to get done right before sunrise. “I’m a night owl,” she said. “It’s when I do some of my best work.”
Paint, Pavement and a Place to Belong
Seven years ago, Braddock was looking for something different. She applied for a laborer position at a line striping company where her boyfriend and his father worked. Her early days were spent hand-painting crosswalks, arrows and stop bars, learning the ins and outs of water- and oil-based paints before graduating to thermoplastics.
“I miss painting,” she said. “I still paint with thermos, but it’s not as common. That is still hand work, but we now use a hand liner.”
Today, her role is bigger, and the stakes are higher. On long line projects, Braddock rides behind the paint truck, guarding freshly drawn lines from wayward traffic. She hauls 50-pound paint materials, keeps the machines fed with beads and elements and reads site plans on the fly.
“It’s a lot of reading blueprints, holding the tape and walking—lots of walking,” she said.
Strength, Smarts and a Swivel Head
This isn’t work for the faint of heart—or the faint of body. Braddock’s height sometimes makes hoisting heavy materials into paint rigs a challenge, but that’s just part of the job. So is the constant awareness that one bad driver could change everything.
“Making sure your head is on a swivel is crucial,” she said. “I’ve almost been hit a few times. I also have to be good at driving a trailer and backing up. I’ve backed up with a trailer 12 miles on a highway before.”
Long hours, late nights and physical stress took their toll in 2024 when Braddock was diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat condition. After a pulmonary vein isolation ablation surgery in December, she’s hoping for smoother nights ahead.
“This year was the toughest I’ve ever had on the job,” she said. “I just adapt and do my best. The guys will always help me if needed. I’m well respected where I work.”
Inside Road Construction: What the Job Really Demands
Kailyn Braddock knows firsthand: this isn’t easy work. Here’s what she faces every shift—and what it takes to make it home safe.
Traffic Never Stops: “Making sure your head is on a swivel is crucial. I’ve almost been hit a few times.”
Heavy Lifting, Night After Night: Materials can weigh 50 pounds or more, and you’ll move pallets’ worth before sunrise.
No Shortcuts on Precision: “It’s a lot of reading blueprints, holding the tape and walking—lots of walking.”
Stamina for the Long Haul: Expect 12-hour nights, 70-hour weeks and seasons where exhaustion isn’t an excuse.
Risk You Can’t Ignore: Driving trailers, backing them up on highways—it’s not skill, it’s survival.
Reality check: Road construction is a high-pressure craft that demands skill, grit and vigilance every minute you’re on the job.
Why She Stays
For Braddock, it’s about more than a paycheck. It’s about pride—and freedom.
“The ability to be feral,” she said when asked what she loves most about the work. “I don’t have to look cute. I can cuss and talk smack, and the guys don’t judge me.”
Road construction gives her what a lot of desk jobs don’t: motion, challenge and a different kind of smarts.
“I don’t like sitting still,” she said. “The job makes you use your brain, from math to quick problem-solving. Every night is different. You just have to adjust to whatever is thrown at you.”
It’s also opened new doors. Thanks to skills she picked up on the job. “Because of my job, I was able to learn carpentry and now help my boyfriend build barns on the side,” she said.
A New Face for the Trades
Even now, women on the jobsite are outnumbered, but the ground is shifting. Braddock works for a woman-owned company and has convinced several friends to jump into the industry too.
Her advice to women thinking about construction careers: Don’t overthink it—just start.
“Do it!” she said. “It’ll teach you so much about life. It’ll make you strong mentally, and you can make so much more money. It may be intimidating, but it’s worth it.”
Braddock’s story is proof: the future of construction is more diverse, more real and a lot more driven by people willing to build their own way.
