Road works in the Central Otago District are being prioritised to accommodate a reduced budget, following a $252,000 overspend in 2008-09.
The Central Otago District Council's roading sub-committee approved a list of prioritised work, recommended by CODC roading manager Julie Muir.
Ms Muir told the sub-committee the 2009-10 seal extension programme had been reduced by more than $200,000 to balance an overspend on road works in the previous financial year.
She recommended the council spend estimates of $886,000 on seal extensions and $162,000 on a special seal which replaced traditional oiling to suppress dust.
Using Eco STAR seal on a further 10 roads which had been set down for seal extensions would save the council about $600,000, and was also recommended by Ms Muir.
She said Eco STAR sealing provided "more bang for your buck" in addressing roads which needed sealing.
By spending $150,000 of the seal extension budget on Eco STAR seal, the council had $736,000 left for seal extensions, which would be best spent on five roads with priority, Ms Muir said.
The 5470m of seal extension on the roads was estimated to cost the council $747,690 - exceeding the budget by $11,000.
A metalling programme was also estimated to exceed its budget by about $1 million, and had to be prioritised, Ms Muir said.
The sub-committee resolved to approve Ms Muir's prioritised roading works lists, to enable projects most needed to be completed first.
