It's a shame that Pioneers of Pagonia doesn't stick to the same strict path-network mechanic, that was my favourite part of the earlier Settlers that later went away.

From the recommendation of another commenter, here's a more recent indie game that seems focused exactly on that style of path logistics:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/677340/The_Colonists/

As a Settlers 1/2 fan I spent quite a bit of time in The Colonists - can recommend it if you liked the road building/flag mechanics and the chill gameplay.