Stephen and Gabriele Dangerfield said there could be solutions to the project which would mean residents of the two houses at the corner of Barber and Warrabungle streets would not have to lose their homes.

“This is a fantastic project with the work that RMS [Roads and Maritime Services] has done so far,” Mr Dangerfield said.

“But I think it could be made even better by not taking out those two houses.

“People could have a good think about it and come up with their own ideas.”

Minister for Roads and Freight Duncan  Gay and Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson announced the recommended route for the rail overpass at AgQuip last week.

Option C was chosen as the recommended route, with the inclusion of direct access to Barber Street.

The route is west of the maize mill and connects the Oxley Highway roundabout with a new roundabout at the intersection of Conadilly and Warrabungle streets.

About 58 businesses had sent in submission asking that direct access to Barber Street be maintained. 

Mr and Mrs Dangerfield said they were preparing their own submission suggesting an alternative option which they believed would mean there was no need to resume the two houses.

Mr Dangerfield, who is an engineer, said it was clear option C had been designed to resume as little property as possible while taking into account the safety standards of the new road.

He said it was difficult to understand how high the overpass would need to be unless you were looking at the site, but the design needed to allow a safe slope as the road came down to meet Barber Street.

“RMS is trying to meet everybody’s demands,”Mr Dangerfield said.

“But it is pushing engineering to its limits to achieve everybodys’ desired outcome.”

Mr and Mrs Dangerfield said while the project was worthwhile, it should not come at the price of two people’s homes.

“I think if we could all work together, we could come up with a solution,” Mr Dangerfield said.

“At the end of the day, we are a community.”