Members of the crew visited the site on Wednesday to see the progress of the project and to become familiar with the site in the case of an emergency.

Fire and Rescue deputy captain Andrew Johns said the brigade would also have "two options to get over the line now".

Read also:

He said at the moment crews travel down Marquis Street if there isn't a train travelling through.

"If there's a train there, we can make a decision to head over the bridge if we have a job in the south-west or west of town, so we don't have to head to the Abbott Street overhead bridge," Mr Johns said.

"It could be critical in saving seconds when arriving at a job - every second counts in the case of some jobs."

He said contractor Daracon Group had been "very good in keeping emergency services in the loop".

"[They] have been good with keeping us informed on what roads are closed and for how long, and that's really good in helping us plan out our routes to emergencies," he said.

Gunnedah Shire Council's infrastructure director Jeremy Bartlett told the NVI in February that the bridge is aimed to improve traffic efficiency, emergency services access and road safety.

The project is expected to be completed in mid-2021.

Subscribe to receive all your local news, for only $2 per week.