Driveway Excavation & Base

A driveway lasts as long as the base under it. Driveway excavation means digging out soft soil, laying and compacting gravel, and leaving a graded base ready for gravel, asphalt or pavers. Paving itself is a separate trade.

The permit depends on the road in front of you. On a provincial highway, the Highway Act requires a permit from the Minister for any private entrance or driveway onto the highway. In Moncton, anyone installing a new driveway or extending an existing one must apply for a curb cut permit, and the City tenders the curb cutting itself to its own contractors. Fredericton charges curb cut fees by the metre.

Quispamsis requires a driveway development permit for a second access to a residential lot, and a second driveway needs more than 30 m of frontage. Saint John has a driveway culvert permit. Check your town's current fees before you budget.

Call before you dig, even for a driveway. Book Info-Excavation with 3 working days' notice and NB Power separately with five business days. NB Power says its lines can be buried as little as one foot underground.

Few New Brunswick prices are published. A national guide read in September 2026 put driveway excavation and base at about $1,500 to $5,000, and gravel for a single-car drive at about $400 to $1,200. Length, how much soft soil comes out, and how far the trucks travel move the number most. Ask each quote how deep the base is and what gravel goes in it.