The Higgs government has now backtracked on an earlier backtracking of its plans to twin parts of Route 11 between Cocagne and Bouctouche.

A provincial spokesperson says there was no contradiction between Finance Minister Ernie Steeves's budget speech on Tuesday and comments by Transportation Minister Bill Oliver on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Ernie Steeves said in his budget speech that the new Progressive Conservative government would try to finish that work if Ottawa would agree to remove the twinning of two bridges from the project.

"This will permit the continuation and completion of affordable twinning of Highway 11 to Bouctouche," Steeves said to the applause of his fellow PC MLAs.

Transportation Minister Bill Oliver appeared to contradict that a day later, telling reporters the only work being planned is paving and adding connector lanes to finish 3.6 kilometres of already-built four-lane highway.

That section is part of the 13 kilometres that was to be twinned as one phase of an agreement between the previous Liberal government of Brian Gallant and the federal Liberal government.

'Bit of confusion'

"I think there's a bit of confusion there," Oliver said Wednesday, explaining that the work would not extend to Bouctouche.

"Not the whole way," he said. "Just to deal with the portion that has already been built."

That shorter 3.6-km section does not include any bridges.

Late Thursday afternoon, Steeves issued a statement reiterating that his budget speech "announced our intention to continue the twinning of Route 11."

Spokesperson Tyler Campbell said that did not mean Oliver was wrong on Wednesday.

"Minister Oliver was referencing the work being done in this fiscal year," he said in an email. "Minister Steeves was referencing a section that we hope to complete subject to negotiations with the federal government outside of this fiscal year."

The Tories cancelled all Route 11 work except for the section nearing completion in December's capital budget.