Major Mackenzie Drive | |
Marker Image: | |
Map: | Major Mackenzie Drive route map.png |
Maint: | Region of York |
Length Km: | 40.4 |
Length Ref: | [1] the |
Namesake: | Addison Alexander MacKenzie |
Location: | York Region (Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham) |
Direction A: | West |
Terminus A: | (Former) Highway 50 In Brampton (Continues north as Coleraine Drive into Brampton) |
Direction B: | East |
Terminus B: | York-Durham Line |
Major Mackenzie Drive, often shortened to Major Mac,[2] [3] is a major east-west arterial road in southern York Region, Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto. It is a York regional road, numbered as York Regional Road 25, and passes through the three cities of southern York Region: Vaughan, Ontario, Richmond Hill, and Markham. It does not continue outside of York Region as an east-west road, but does cross into Brampton (in Peel Region) as Coleraine Drive which immediately curves sharply at the boundary to head north towards Bolton.
The road was named after Major Addison Alexander MacKenzie, a former local politician and World War I veteran.[4] [5] [6]
The road was laid out during the planning by early settlers in the region to divide the land into farms. Much of the farmland is now gone, as residential development expands in York Region towards the north.
Major MacKenzie Drive stretches across Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham. Here are some nearby communities it runs through:
There are plans for a future connection between Major Mackenzie Drive and Mayfield Road in Brampton.[7] The project is part of the Highway 427 Extension Area Transportation Master Plan, which aims to improve traffic flow and connectivity in the area.[8] [9] The new roadway is designated as Arterial A2 in the plan and will be a six-lane north-south connection.[10] However, a specific construction timeline has not been announced yet.[11]