In order to decrease the calculation complexity of connectivity reliability of road networks, an improved recursive decomposition arithmetic is proposed. First, the basic theory of recursive decomposition arithmetic is reviewed. Then the characteristics of road networks, which are different from general networks, are analyzed. Under this condition, an improved recursive decomposition arithmetic is put forward which fits road networks better. Furthermore, detailed calculation steps are presented which are convenient for the computer, and the advantage of the approximate arithmetic is analyzed based on this improved arithmetic. This improved recursive decomposition arithmetic directly produces disjoint minipaths and avoids the non-polynomial increasing problems. And because the characteristics of road networks are considered, this arithmetic is greatly simplified. Finally, an example is given to prove its validity.