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What is it that the environmentalists know about road construction that those of us who actually build roads don't know?

The environmental community has hired consultants to come up with a laundry list of engineering challenges that will be faced if the long-debated Lynn Canal highway project is allowed to finally move forward. These hired guns warn against the dangers of rockfalls, rock slides, big boulders, snow avalanches and more. They would warn against Bigfoot if they thought it would block the project.

As business manager for Operating Engineers Local 302, a union representing thousands of workers who actually build roads for a living, I respectfully request that these folks stick to their environmental arguments against economic development projects like these, and leave the engineering and road-building to the engineers and road-builders.

The more than 10,000 rank-and-file heavy equipment operators and other construction workers in our union have faced - and overcome - all such challenges before on road projects in Alaska, Washington and around the world. (Although, admittedly, we have yet to face Bigfoot.)

We have confidence in the legions of researchers, designers and engineers - the real experts - who have studied this project for many years. We know that if they say it can be done, we can do it.

On the other hand, we have no confidence in last-minute attempts to derail permitting for this project from "experts" hired to put up roadblocks - literally.

Our union believes the Lynn Canal highway project is critically important to the long-term economic health of the Juneau area and all of Alaska. We think the highway will save the state and its users a tremendous amount of money, enough to finance the entire project. But those savings won't begin to be realized until the job gets done. The job will never get done if we allow opponents of economic development to halt the wheels of progress via these hired hacks.

We urge Governor Palin to allow this project to continue through the permitting process so we can build an economic future for Alaska.

Allan B. Darr

Business manager, IUOE Local 302

Everett, Wash.