More than anyone, Robert C. Byrd is responsible for, among other significant things, securing millions upon millions of dollars for West Virginia’s network of modern highways and bridges, which is still a work in progress.

But that wasn’t one of his earliest achievements when he became a member of Congress in early 1953. That’s because Congress didn’t even authorize the federal Interstate Highway System until three years later.

Why do we bring this up? It serves to underscore the remarkable accomplishments this state, indeed the country, has witnessed since Sen. Byrd first went to Washington nearly 57 years ago and began working to help make them realities.

Think about it. When Byrd took his seat in the U.S. House on Jan. 3, 1953, Dwight Eisenhower had just been elected the 34th president of the United States (Barack Obama is the 44th), the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn (and losing to the Yankees) and Neil Armstrong was an engineering student at Purdue University — 16 years before he became the first man to step foot on the moon, five years before NASA was even established.

On Wednesday, the West Virginia Democrat officially became the longest-serving member in the history of Congress — 56 years, 320 days, surpassing the mark previously held by Carl Hayden, the late Arizona lawmaker.

Byrd became the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate on June 12, 2006.

On Friday, the beloved and esteemed senator celebrates his 92nd birthday.

The numbers associated with Byrd’s tenure on Capitol Hill are simply remarkable. In a career that has spanned nearly 21,000 days, he has cast more than 18,000 votes, and despite fragile health in recent months, he has a near 98 percent attendance record during his many years of representing the people of West Virginia.

There is hardly a square mile of the West Virginia landscape that doesn’t have Byrd’s footprints, be it infrastructure, research and education centers, government and military facilities, etc. And he continues to work for the betterment of his state and country. Last month, after a season of illness and absence, he personally managed a $44.1 billion spending agreement on security measures against natural disaster, terrorist attacks and other threats.

And, of course, there’s the historical perspective. No lawmaker in U.S. history has had a better grasp of constitutional principles than Sen. Byrd. He has been a fierce protector of Congress’ responsibilities under the Constitution, i.e., the separation of powers, challenging presidential policies like George W. Bush’s decision to go to war against Iraq and Ronald Reagan’s pursuit of the line-item veto.

In a statement to The Register-Herald last week, Sen. Byrd thanked the people of West Virginia for supporting him over the past 57 years “and for putting their trust and faith in me.”

It’s the people of West Virginia and the United States who should be thanking Sen. Byrd for his lifetime of service to his state and country.

So we’ll say it here: Thank you, Sen. Byrd.

And, Happy Birthday.