The interstate highways systems marks its 20th anniversary this month. In those two decades, the system has been a good public servant. We’ve enjoyed its benefits here in Utah…as have citizens across the country. A total of 42,500 miles of interstate roads has been projected. But only 37,597 miles of routes are open to traffic. Road officials cite the need for completion of the full system. Other needs also are apparent on this 20th anniversary especially the redesign of some of the outmoded routes, and resurfacing of. some 10,200 miles of roads that are beginning to wear out. The Road Information Program (TRIP), a Washington-based research and information agency, says this year marks the first time Congress has specified funds $350 million – for resurfacing of interstate routes. Of course, interstate resurfacing amounts to only a small portion of a much larger problem. The over-all federal-aid highway system – of which the interstates are a part – contains 318,740 deficient miles out of a total of 910,000. All of this indicates a tremendously big and costly, job to accomplish. But when weighed against the benfits, the question, “Are roads worth it?” can only be answered in the affirmative. In our auto-borne society, they’re a must. Addressing . Congress last year, Transportation Secretary William T. Coleman Jr. declared; “The automobile is and will continue to be the most universally acceptable form of transportation in America.” Some specific benefits: The Federal Highway Administration estimates safety benefits over the life of federal-aid highway improvements completed between 1956 and 1970 will prevent 131,000 deaths and avoid 3.3 million injuries. Estimates are that $377 billion will have been saved on interstate highways alone through accident reduction, fuel and oil conservation, and reduced transportation time and costs. The savings are more than five times, the estimated $70 billion cost for construction of the system. Other monetary savings, hard to measure, come through quicker emergency response by police, fire and, ambulance services; expanded opportunities for tourism, and access to cultural, educational, and recreational facilities. The 20th anniversary of the interstate system is a good time to note these benefits…and to remind ourselves that the time never will come when road building, reconstruction, and resurfacing, won’t be needed to keep America’s traffic flowing.