N.S. paving projects to triple

Nova Scotia's minister of transportation says there will be more secondary roads paved this summer because bids from paving companies are lower than last year.

Bill Estabrooks says the number of smaller paving jobs will triple, from 27 sections of road planned last year to 94 this year.

"Tenders are coming in cheaper than they ever have in the past so we're going to be able to stretch our dollars even further than we have," he said Monday.

Estabrooks said private companies areconcerned about competing against the province's own mobile asphalt plant and are"aware of the fact we're facing tough times."

"We've said many times when we pay less, we pave more," he said.

The list of paving jobsfor secondary and local provincialroads was released Monday as part of theprovince's updated five-year road plan.

Overall, the province is spending about $45 million less on roadwork this summer.

As for bigger jobs, the province plans to place new guardrails along the Canso Causeway and build a new overpass on Highway 101 near Lower Sackville.

The first phase of twinning Highway 104 near Antigonishstartsthis summer.