Road wars: National is launching a petition plan to drive the Government to confirm its support for major roading projects already in the works.

National is rallying support to save its major highway projects, at risk the party says, under a new Government with a preference for rail in Auckland.

But the Government has hit back, saying National's concerns are "unfounded", in part because money cannot be redirected back into rail.

Transport spokeswoman Judith Collins has announced plans to launch a suite of petitions that local National MPs will present to the Government later in the year, for the individual roading projects in question.

CHRIS MCKEEN/STUFF Judith Collins is the National Party spokesperson for transport. She says the Government's "obsession with light rail" in Auckland is threatening regional roading projects.

The roading ideas were at varying levels of progress, some were being actively scoped out by the NZ Transport Agency, while many were long-term ideas National had simply brought forward for prioritisation on the campaign trail.

None had been approved by Cabinet as planned construction projects by the previous Government.

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Ross Giblin The Kapiti Expressway is completed, and has largely been met with approval from motorists driving between Mackays Crossing north of Paekakariki to just north of Peka Peka.

The Government has already canned Auckland's East-West Link - a $1.85 billion priority roading project of the last National Government, that would connect State Highway 20 at Onehunga and SH1 at Mt Wellington, with a four-lane highway.

Collins said the "Government's obsession with Auckland trams" had also placed a number of regional highway projects at risk.

“Roads from Northland right through to Ashburton are being ‘reviewed’ while the Government attempts to divert billions of dollars to pet light rail projects," she said.

STUFF While stop signs and roadworks slow motorists down, merging lanes and narrow roads on popular regional highways can be hotspots for crashes and fatalities.

"To ensure the voice of each region is heard the National Party is launching a series of petitions so the public can show the Government how important the projects are. Each MP responsible for their road will be taking their online and physical petition to present to the Government later this year."

But a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the concerns were ill-founded and the petitions were stunt to protect campaign promises, rather than actual roading projects.

"The Transport Agency has advised that funding for road upgrades cannot be redirected into rail, so National's concerns are unfounded.

"The Mill Road Corridor upgrade is an Auckland Transport project and planning is continuing. The Labour-led Government has not altered any existing roading projects except Auckland's East-West link and officials are working to identify a lower-cost, better-value option," she said.

"It important to note that the other 'highway projects' referred to in National's petition do not exist. They were election campaign promises made by National in August and never costed or funded.

"To suggest the Government isn't going ahead with projects that don't exist is misleading. And to suggest non-existing funding be diverted into rail is nonsensical."

The call has come just after the holiday period in which 12 people died across the country. Last year, 380 died on New Zealand roads - the highest toll since 2009 when 384 people died.

Collins said the projects were all prioritised to improve safety and travel times, better connect the regions, and boost regional economic growth.

"These are the most crucial transport linkages in their regions and the Government has wrongly thrown them into doubt. You can't argue that you support regional New Zealand and then immediately take these key projects away," Collins said.

MP for Bay of Plenty Todd Muller and MP for Coromandel Scott Simpson had also launched their petition, calling specifically for the Katikati to Tauranga four-lane Road of National Significance to proceed as planned.

MP for Tauranga Simon Bridges was spearheading the Tauranga to Hamilton expressway petition, while Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon was pushing the petition for a four-lane state highway link between Christchurch and Ashburton.

Individual petitions would be launched by National MPs over the coming weeks for the following regional projects:

- The upgrade of the Redoubt-Mill Road corridor from Manukau and Flat Bush to Papakura and Drury

- The extension of the Waikato Expressway from Cambridge to the foot of the Kaimai Range, and from Cambridge to Tirau

- The continuous four lane extension of the Northern Motorway from Warkworth to Whangarei

- An East West Link Road project between the Onehunga-Penrose industrial area and State Highways 1 and 20

- The Tauranga to Katikati Road project as a continuous four lane State Highway with wide lanes and safety measures

- The four-laning of the Napier to Hastings Expressway

- The Otaki to north of Levin expressway road project

- The Christchurch Northern Motorway between Belfast and Pegasus

- The construction of the four-lane State Highway 1 link between Christchurch and Ashburton