Spiders from Mars

Eisenhower Interstate System Roadsign

I'm reading A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. We have a developing civilization on roughly Earth-like planet. Well, there are "people" living there and they seem to be surviving, so it's Earth-like for them, ay?

This civilization is about on par with what our civilization was like in the mid 20th century, sometimes  ridiculously similar, but why not? You don't make progress unless you master basic technology. Then if you are clever, you can build on that. Anyway, that's where they're at. Now on page 144 we get this:

"The crown is building a national highway system. You wouldn't be behind that, would you, Major?" 

Victory smiled. "No need. There are plenty of people in Quartermaster who are. And the highway system would happen without any government help at all. But this way, we retained control."

Golly gee, that sounds a whole like our Interstate Highway System.