How do I connect a new concrete driveway to a provincial road in NB?

Connecting a new concrete driveway to a provincial road in New Brunswick requires a driveway access permit from the NB Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NBDTI) before any work begins. This is not optional — constructing or modifying a driveway access to a provincial highway without a permit is a violation of the Highway Act and can result in the access being required to be removed at your expense.

The first step is determining who owns the road. In New Brunswick, roads are either provincially maintained (under NBDTI) or municipally maintained. In urban areas like Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, and Bathurst, most roads are municipal and the permit comes from the city or town. In rural areas and on numbered provincial highways (Highway 1, Highway 2, Highway 7, etc.), NBDTI is the authority. If you're unsure, your municipality or Service NB can confirm.

For NBDTI provincial roads, the application process involves: submitting a Driveway Access Permit Application through the NBDTI regional office for your area (there are offices in Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John, Miramichi, Bathurst, and Edmundston), providing a sketch showing the property location, proposed driveway location, sight distances in both directions, and setback from intersections. NBDTI will assess the application based on traffic volumes on the road, visibility/sight line requirements, drainage impacts, and road safety standards.

Key technical requirements for provincial road connections in NB typically include: minimum sight distance requirements (how far you can see in each direction before the driveway — this increases with posted speed limits), minimum separation from intersections (often 30-60 metres depending on the highway classification), and culvert requirements if the driveway crosses a roadside ditch. NBDTI may require the installation of a culvert (a pipe under the driveway to maintain drainage flow in the ditch) at your expense, and the specifications for that culvert are set by NBDTI.

The concrete apron at the road connection — typically the first 3-6 metres of your driveway from the road edge — must be constructed to NBDTI standards. This usually means 6-inch concrete or a specified granular base designed for the traffic and drainage context. NBDTI may inspect this section before or after the pour.

Permit fees and processing time vary, but driveway access permits for residential properties are typically straightforward and processed within a few weeks. Your concrete contractor should be aware of the permit requirement and ideally experienced with NBDTI driveway connections in rural NB. New Brunswick Concrete can help you find driveway contractors familiar with the provincial road connection process across NB.