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RALEIGH (AP) - Gov. Mike Easley said Wednesday he is fast-tracking more than $700 million in building projects as a way to stimulate North Carolina's economy, changing his strategy in the face of sobering job numbers and increasing financial turmoil.

The Democratic governor who departs in less than two months estimated that more than two dozen projects from the state's ports to the mountains will generate nearly 26,000 new jobs.

The projects vary from prison and university campus improvements to a renovated polar bear exhibit at the state zoo.

Easley's office also said he has instructed Commerce Secretary Jim Fain to aggressively use its incentive program to recruit jobs to the state. He said he expects to make several new job announcements soon.

"North Carolina is holding her own in job creation, but we are not immune from national economic trends, which means we have to take aggressive steps to minimize any hardships," Easley said in a statement.

"When the new president and Congress pass an economic stimulus package early next year, I want to make sure North Carolina is immediately ready to take advantage of it."

Easley, noting that building costs and interest rates are low right now, said the priority projects will be on the Council of State's agenda for approval at the beginning of January - just a few days before governor-elect Bev Perdue takes office.

Those projects, already approved by the General Assembly, would normally go the the Council of State for approval in March.

Renee Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the projects will be financed using bonds that will have no principal or interest payments for at least six months. The state is still looking to cut spending on projects paid for with appropriated funds, she said.

Perdue, a fellow Democrat, issued a statement saying part of her plan for economic recovery includes similar spending to bring the right projects to construction quickly.

"These projects matter because they create construction jobs in the short term at a time when private development has slowed and rates and labor costs are low," Perdue said. She did not specifically address the projects Easley has proposed.

Wednesday's announcement marks a stark shift from Easley's early mantra of restraint. He had ordered spending cuts of up to 5 percent and held up building repairs to locate up to $1.2 billion the state will need later to cover any shortfall.

Revenues have been about 5 percent of what lawmakers had projected when they drew up the state budget, and General Assembly financial experts have told lawmakers the budget shortfall could range between $800 million to $1.6 billion by the time the fiscal year ends next June.

But Easley's strategic change underscores concerns about North Carolina jobs. The state's unemployment rate climbed to 7 percent in October, the highest in almost six years.

Mike Walden, an economist and professor at North Carolina State University, said Easley's ideas are similar to those pushed by President-elect Barack Obama at the federal level.

He said the 26,000 jobs figure was reasonable, if it includes both direct and indirect job creation.

"The advantage is that if the private sector isn't spending money then you can have the public sector fill that gap," Walden said.

"You are funneling money into the economy, stimulating the economy and creating jobs."