China's Highways - Central Document No. 1 of 2026: Promote the renovation of old rural roads, widen excessively narrow roads, and upgrade substandard road sections.

On February 3, the No. 1 document of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council for 2026, entitled "Opinions on Anchoring Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Solidly Promoting the Comprehensive Revitalization of Rural Areas," was released.

The document states that...Promote the renovation of old rural roads, widen excessively narrow roads, and upgrade substandard road sections, while strengthening the construction of safety protection facilities..

This is the 14th Central Document No. 1 guiding work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the 22nd time that content related to rural roads has appeared in a Central Document No. 1.
2004

The "six small projects"—water-saving irrigation, drinking water for people and livestock, rural roads, rural biogas, rural hydropower, and grassland fencing—play a positive role in improving farmers' production and living conditions, creating employment opportunities for farmers, and increasing farmers' income. We should further increase the scale of investment, enrich the content of construction, and expand the scope of construction.
2005

Adjust the investment structure for highway construction, increase investment in rural road construction, take into account the technical standards, quality management and maintenance of rural road construction, and rationally determine the investment subsidy standards for rural roads.

Increase investment in poverty alleviation and development, strengthen rural infrastructure construction in impoverished areas, guide farmers to manage water resources, improve soil and build roads, implement village-wide poverty alleviation plans, improve poverty alleviation and development mechanisms, and accelerate the pace of poverty eradication and prosperity.
2006

We must further strengthen the construction of rural roads, and by the end of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan period, we will basically achieve the goal of connecting all townships nationwide with paved (cement) roads, connecting all eligible administrative villages in the eastern and central regions with paved (cement) roads, and connecting all eligible administrative villages in the western region with roads.

In accordance with the principle of giving equal importance to construction and management, the maintenance of public infrastructure such as rural roads will be gradually included in the scope of national support.

We must fully consider the vital interests and development needs of farmers, and on the basis of promoting rural economic development, we should distinguish between priorities, highlight key areas of construction, strengthen infrastructure construction such as drinking water safety, farmland irrigation, rural roads, and rural energy, and accelerate the development of public services such as education and health.
2007

Increase investment in rural road construction, strengthen the maintenance and management of rural roads, and improve the financing, construction, and maintenance mechanisms for rural roads.
2008

Increase investment from central and local government funds and national debt funds to continue strengthening rural road construction. Enhance quality supervision of rural road construction and promote reform of the rural road management and maintenance system.

Improve policies and measures to support the development of rural public transportation, improve rural public transportation services, promote the networking and bus-like transformation of rural passenger transport routes, and promote the coordinated development of urban and rural passenger transport.
2009

Accelerate the construction of rural roads. By the end of 2010, basically all townships and eligible administrative villages in the eastern and central regions of the country will be connected by paved (cement) roads, and eligible administrative villages in the western region will be connected by highways. Increase central government investment in rural road construction in the central and western regions and establish a policy-based subsidy system for rural passenger transport.
2010

We will fully complete the rural road construction tasks of the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", implement the responsibility for the management and maintenance of rural roads, and promote the integration of urban and rural passenger transport.
2012

Continue to strengthen the construction and maintenance of rural roads.
2013

Promote the construction of asphalt (cement) roads connecting townships and administrative villages in western regions and contiguous poverty-stricken areas, and upgrade and connect county and township roads in eastern and central regions. Increase efforts in the construction of rural road bridges, safety engineering projects, and ferry crossing upgrades, and continue to promote the construction of rural township passenger transport station networks.
2014

Implement village road hardening projects, strengthen the operation and maintenance of village roads, water supply and drainage and other public facilities, and establish a maintenance funding guarantee system that combines resident payments, village collective subsidies and government subsidies where conditions permit.

Accelerate the construction of rural roads, focusing on the western region and contiguous poverty-stricken areas, strengthen the maintenance and safety management of rural roads, and promote the integration of urban and rural road passenger transport.
2015

Accelerate the construction of rural roads in western regions and contiguous poverty-stricken areas.

Strengthen financial investment and mechanism innovation in the maintenance and management of rural roads, and effectively enhance the safety management of rural passenger transport and rural school buses.
2016

Accelerate the process of providing paved roads and bus services to all eligible townships and administrative villages, and promote the access of natural villages with a certain population size to highways.

Create conditions to promote the integration of urban and rural passenger transport.

Accelerate the construction of fire prevention and emergency roads in state-owned forest areas.

Rural road maintenance funds will be gradually incorporated into local government budgets.
2017

We will further promote the construction, management, maintenance, and operation of rural roads, deepen the reform of the rural road management and maintenance system, and actively promote the integration of urban and rural transportation.
2018

We will continue to prioritize infrastructure development in rural areas, accelerating the construction of rural roads, water supply, gas supply, environmental protection, power grids, logistics, information, and radio and television infrastructure, and promoting the interconnection of urban and rural infrastructure.

Using demonstration counties as a platform, we will comprehensively promote the construction of "four-good rural roads" and accelerate the construction of hardened roads connecting villages and groups.

Increase the use of refined oil consumption tax transfer payments for rural road maintenance.
2019

We will comprehensively promote the construction of "four-good rural roads", increase the implementation of the "road chief system" and demonstration counties, and ensure that all administrative villages with the necessary conditions have access to paved roads, and extend the roads to natural villages where conditions permit.

Strengthen the construction of village roads.
2020

Promote the improvement and expansion of the "Four Good Rural Roads" demonstration project, and launch demonstration projects within the province and city.

On the basis of completing the tasks of providing paved roads and bus services to eligible administrative villages, we will orderly promote the construction of paved roads to natural villages (groups) with larger populations.

Support the construction and renovation of village roads.

Increase the support of transfer payments from the reform of refined oil taxes and fees for rural road maintenance.

Accelerate the legislative process for rural road regulations.

Strengthen rural road traffic safety management.
2021

Implement rural road improvement projects.

Implement the orderly construction of paved roads to natural villages (groups) with larger populations.

Strengthen the construction of rural resource roads, industrial roads, tourism roads, and main roads within villages.

Rural road construction projects should be prioritized to reach villages and households.

Continue to support rural road development through channels such as central government vehicle purchase tax subsidies to local governments, transfer payments from refined oil tax reform, and local government bonds, in accordance with regulations.

Continue to carry out the demonstration and creation of "Four Good Rural Roads".

The road chief system will be fully implemented.

Carry out demonstration projects for integrated urban and rural transportation.

Strengthen the investigation of safety hazards on rural roads and bridges, and implement the main responsibility for maintenance and management.

Strengthen the supervision of rural road traffic safety.

Strengthen the construction of service facilities such as village-level passenger transport stations.
2022

We will orderly promote the construction of highways of grade III or above connecting townships and paved roads connecting natural villages (groups) with larger populations, and implement rural road safety protection projects and dangerous bridge renovation.

We will carry out pilot reforms of the rural road management and maintenance system in a solid manner. We will steadily promote the automated detection of rural road conditions.
2023

Strengthen the maintenance and safety management of rural roads, and promote the integrated development of rural roads with supporting facilities, industrial parks, tourist attractions, and key rural tourism villages along the routes.
2024

We will make solid progress in the construction of "four-good rural roads", improve traffic management and safety protection facilities, and accelerate the implementation of the "danger elimination" action for rural road bridge safety.
2025

We will implement a new round of rural road improvement initiatives, conduct risk and hazard investigations and rectification of rural roads, bridges and tunnels, and continuously promote the high-quality development of "four-good rural roads".