Major Mackenzie Drive

Major Mackenzie Drive

York Regional Road 25
Route of Major Mackenzie Drive across York Region (blue line)
Namesake	Addison Alexander MacKenzie
Maintained by	Region of York
Length	40.4 km (25.1 mi) [1]
Location	York Region (Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham)
West end	(Former) Highway 50 In Brampton (Continues north as Coleraine Drive into Brampton)
Major junctions	Highway 427 (Former) Highway 27 Kipling Avenue Islington Avenue Weston Road   Highway 400 Jane Street Keele Street Dufferin Street Bathurst Street Yonge Street Bayview Avenue Leslie Street   Highway 404 Woodbine Avenue Warden Avenue Kennedy Road McCowan Road Markham Road Donald Cousens Parkway
East end	York-Durham Line
Nearby arterial roads ← Rutherford Road / Carrville Road / 16th Avenue Teston Road / Elgin Mills Road →

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.

Name

The road is named after Lex MacKenzie, a former local politician and World War I veteran (with Major being a reference to his military rank), ^{[4] [5] [6]} although the road is officially spelled "Major Mackenzie" with a lowercase K.

The section west of Yonge Street was originally known as Maple Side Road (after the community of Maple though which it passed) ^[4] while the portion east of Yonge was Seventeenth Avenue before being named after Lex Mackenzie, although a bypassed cul-de-sac near Warden Avenue is still named Old '17th Avenue'. ^[7]

History

The road was laid out by early settlers as a concession road across the original York County to divide the land into farms. Most of the farmland is now gone (although some remains protected in eastern Markham within the Rouge National Urban Park) as residential development expands in York Region towards the north.

Communities

Major Mackenzie Drive stretches across Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham. Here are some nearby communities it runs through:

Vaughan

• Maple
• Kleinburg
• Woodbridge
• Patterson
• Thornhill Woods

Richmond Hill

• Richmond Hills proper
• Oak Ridges
• Yongehurst
• Beverley Acres
• Headford

Markham

• Victoria Square
• Cathedraltown
• Cachet
• Berczy Village
• Wismer Commons
• Mount Joy
• Greensborough
• Cachet

Road information

• Transportation: Mainly YRT Routes 4 and 25, Major Mackenzie Viva Terminal on the Viva Blue line
• Attractions: Kortright Conservation Area, Canada's Wonderland, Eagle's Nest golf course, Angus Glen golf course, Rouge Park

Road status

• Zoning: Mainly low density residential in Vaughan and Markham, some developing, medium density in Richmond Hill,
• Speed: Anywhere from 50–80 km/h with 60 km/h being the most common,

Future

There are plans for a future connection between Major Mackenzie Drive and Mayfield Road in Brampton. ^[8] The project is part of the Highway 427 Extension Area Transportation Master Plan, which aims to improve traffic flow and connectivity in the area. ^{[9] [10]} The new roadway is designated as Arterial A2 in the plan and will be a six-lane north-south connection. ^[11] However, a specific construction timeline has not been announced yet. ^[12]

Streets to the north and south

• 16th Avenue
• Elgin Mills Road
• Highway 7
• Highway 407
• 14th Avenue
• Steeles Avenue

References

1. "Major MacKenzie Drive. route". Google Maps. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
2. "Tex-Mex Food in Major Mac & Vellore Park, Vaughan". BarBurrito. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
3. "RECOMMENDATION REPORT 404 Major Mac West Developments Limited". pub-markham.escribemeetings.com. March 26, 2024.
4. Filey, Mike (September 13, 1998). "Major MacKenzie's Home Now Part of Pioneer Past". Toronto Sketches 6: The Way We Were. Dundurn. p. 259. ISBN   978-1-4597-1303-1.
5. "F0347 - Major Addison Alexander Mackenzie fonds". Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections, York University.
6. Yeung, Tony Yeung (2013-02-21). "Major Mackenzie Dr. honours famous soldier: Street names". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2024-07-22.
7. "Satellite view of Major Mackenzie Dr. and Warden Ave. showing the bypassed original alignment, now named Old '17th Ave.'" . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
8. "HIGHWAY 427 INDUSTRIAL SECONDARY PLAN (AREA 47) TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN STUDY" (PDF). City of Brampton. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
9. "Arterial Roads within Highway 427 Industrial Secondary Plan Area (Area 47) Part A - Region of Peel". Region of Peel. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
10. "SP47 PIC Boards June 27 2012 FINAL (2) Public Information Centre Highway 427 Industrial Secondary Plan (Area 47) Transportation Master Plan Study" (PDF). City of Brampton. June 27, 2012.
11. "map of northeast corner of Brampton showing proposed A2 arterial road".
12. "Highway 50 widening and roadways in the Highway 427 extension area - Regional Government - Region of Peel".