Research on the Evaluation of Rural Roads Development Level in China Based on Critic-Grey Relation Analysis

This study constructs an evaluation index system to assess the development level of rural roads in China, focusing on four key dimensions: construction, management, maintenance, and operation. Employing the Critic-Grey relation analysis model, this research develops a method for calculating evaluation indicators and analyzes the development levels of rural roads across 31 provincial administrative regions in China. The results reveal that the average technical grade of rural roads, the rate of natural villages with hard-packed roads for households of 30 or more, rural road network density, the rate of medium-grade rural roads or above, and the rate of investment in rural road maintenance relative to local general public budget expenditure are the most critical measures. Furthermore, significant disparities in rural road development are evident, with the Eastern region exhibiting the highest development levels, while the central and western regions lag significantly behind. Additionally, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu in the Yangtze River Delta region demonstrate leading positions in overall rural road development within China.