# McCowan Road

McCowan Road is a major north-south thoroughfare in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. It runs through the city of Toronto and into the Regional Municipality of York where it ends at the Town of Georgina.
The road was named for the McCowan Family, a Scottish family patriarch who settled in the area in 1833. The street, the former Lot 22, and later McCowan's Sideroad (officially called McCowan Road by Scarborough Township in 1956), begins at Kingston Road in the City of Toronto and ends at Baseline Road in the Town of Georgina.
In Scarborough, there is a brief break at the Highland Creek between Lawrence and Eglinton Avenues; Danforth Road carries most of the traffic south-southwest of Lawrence. When the Scarborough Town Centre complex was opened in 1973, interchange access to Highway 401 was opened, with Exit 381. With greater vehicle usage, in that area, the road is now 6 lanes from Ellesmere Road to Sheppard Avenue, and additional exit ramps to/from the 401 have been constructed at nearby Brimley Road. North of Sheppard Avenue, CP Rail's Toronto marshalling yards use McCowan as a western limit, and stretch east of Markham Road.

## Route description

McCowan Road runs from Kingston Road north to Steeles Avenue, where it becomes York Regional Road 67 in York Region. It is interrupted by a brief 375-meter gap north of Eglinton Avenue due to Highland Creek, where McCowan Park and John McCrae Public School are located. During this break, Danforth Road carries through traffic for approximately 1.75 kilometers. Formerly known as 7th Line in Markham, McCowan Road now intersects Highway 401 at the Scarborough Town Centre, built in 1973. The Scarborough Rapid Transit Line, opened in 1985, crosses McCowan on an elevated track at this location. North of Sheppard Avenue, the road borders the western edge of the Canadian Pacific Railway Toronto marshalling yards, which extend east of Markham Road.

## Public transit

McCowan Road is served mainly by TTC Route 129A. Since this is a TTC route running north of Steeles Avenue, passengers must pay another fare when crossing Steeles Avenue. McCowan Road also serves as a temporary terminus for Viva Green lines at McCowan Vivastation at Highway 7 until the Cornell Terminal is completed. Other routes using portions of McCowan Road are YRT Routes 40 (Unionville Local), Route 41 (Markham Local), Route 42 (Breczy South Unionville), Route 45 (Mingay), Route 522(Markham Community Bus) and TTC Route 53B (Steeles East)
The Toronto Transit Commission's Scarborough RT line ends at McCowan Station, but all the connecting buses terminate at the Scarborough Centre Station. These include:
* 16 McCowan
* 129 McCowan North
* 130 Middlefield
* 131 Nugget
* 132 Milner
* 169 Huntingwood
* There is 24-hour bus service on McCowan with the 302 Danforth Rd.-McCowan Blue Night bus running from Danforth and Warden Avenues, along Danforth Road and McCowan to Steeles.
* The 9 Bellamy (running between Warden and Scarborough Centre) operates along the southern portion of McCowan Road, between Eglinton Avenue and Kingston Road

## Landmarks

McCowan Road stretches across Toronto, Markham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, and Georgina. Here are some nearby Landmarks it runs through:
| Landmark | Cross street |
| Toronto Public Library | Kingston Road |
| McCowan District | Ellesmere Road |
| McCowan Park | Danforth Road |
| Scarborough Health Network - General Hospital | Lawrence Avenue |
| Scarborough Town Centre | Ellesmere Road/Progress Avenue |
| Woodside Square | Finch Avenue |
| Milliken District Park | Steeles Avenue |
| Markham Sports Dome | 14th Avenue |
| Milne Dame Conservation Park | South Unionville Avenue |
| CF Markville | Highway 7 |
| Markham Fairgrounds | Elgin Mills Road |
| Tree Valley Garden Centre | Stouffville Road |
| Applewood Farm | Stouffville Road |
| Lemonville Community Centre | McCowan Road |
| St. Andrew’s East Golf & Country Club | McCowan Road |
| Patterson-Hall Tract | McCowan Road |
| Black Equestrian | McCowan Road |
| Ridgewood Stables | McCowan Road |

## Road information

* Length: 52 km (within York Region)
* Transportation: YRT Routes 40, and 41 and TTC Route 53B also uses portions of McCowan.
* Attractions: Cresthaven Golf Course, Milne Dam Conservation Park, Markville Mall, Centennial Community Centre and Arena, Williamstown, Markham Fairgrounds, Spring Lakes Golf and Country Club, St. Andrew’s East Golf Club, and Maples of Ballantrae Golf Course
* Road status: 4 lane road from its start at Steeles Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive East. 2 lane road from Major Mackenzie Drive East to Baseline Road.
* Zoning: Low density residential Steeles Avenue to Highway 7 and from Carlton Road to Major Mackenzie Drive East. Lots of farmland and forests between from Major Mackenzie to Baseline Road.
* Additional information: Once named Concession Road 7, McCowan Road was named for James McCowan, a Scottish family patriarch who settled in the area in 1833. The road begins at Kingston Road in Scarborough. McCowan road is interrupted between Faulkner Avenue and Cherry Street.

## Major cross roads

(from south to north)
* Midland Avenue
* Brimley Road
* Kingston Road
* Eglinton Avenue
* Lawrence Avenue
* Kennedy Road
* Finch Avenue
* Steeles Avenue
* Denison Street
* 14th Avenue
* Highway 407
* Highway 7
* 16th Avenue
* Bur Oak Avenue
* Major Mackenzie Drive East
* Elgin Mills Road East
* 19th Avenue
* Stouffville Road
* Bethesda Sideroad
* Bloomington Road
* Vandorf Sideroad
* Aurora Road
* St. John’s Sideroad
* Vivian Road
* Davis Drive
* Mount Albert Road
* Doane Road
* Queensville Sideroad East
* Holborn Road
* Boag Road
* Ravenshoe Road
* Glenwoods Avenue
* Mount Pleasant Trail
* Old Homestead Road
* Country Mile Lane
* Baseline Road