The Bronx Kill is a narrow tidal strait in New York City delineating the southernmost extent of the Bronx. It separates the Bronx from Randalls Island, running from the Harlem River to the East River.[1]
History
Originally, the Bronx Kill was a sizeable waterway, approximately 600 feet (180 m) in width. As of 1917, there were also plans by the War Department to dredge a 24-foot (7.3 m) deep channel, 480 feet (150 m) in width, to improve navigation and reduce tidal currents. For this reason, in the early 20th century the New York Connecting Railroad built a movable bridge across the Bronx Kill on the approach to the Hell Gate Bridge.[2][3] Similarly, the truss bridge of the Triborough Bridge across the Bronx Kill was designed to be convertible to a lift bridge.[4] However, much of the Bronx Kill was later filled in to expand the parkland on Randalls Island.
Navigation
The Bronx Kill offers a venue for kayakers and other self-powered boaters without the worry of larger vessel traffic. Canoe and kayak expeditions through the waterway begin on the Harlem River, near the Third Avenue Bridge. Crossings must account for both the direction and depth of tide: at low water, parts of the Bronx Kill entirely bottom out, revealing muddy stretches, and assorted debris. There is also low air draft under the Randalls Island Connector.[5] Consequently, no commercial vessels navigate the kill, with local businesses mostly relying on road and rail transport, including the Oak Point Link along its north bank.
21st century
In 2001, the New York Power Authority offered to construct a pedestrian bridge linking the Bronx with Randalls Island—part of the agency's remuneration to the community for building two new power plants in the South Bronx.[6] That plan, however, fell by the wayside when local officials argued that an improved Triborough Bridge path would be sufficient. The state authority instead paid for energy efficiency measures in the borough as a whole, including a green roof on the Bronx County Courthouse.[citation needed]
At the time, the two sidewalks of the Triborough Bridge's Bronx Kill span were connected to one long ramp at the Randalls Island end. This provides difficult access.[7] Following years of negotiation for land with the operators of the Harlem River Yards on the north bank of the Kill,[8] the Randalls Island Connector bridge was constructed across the Kill. The $6 million bridge, located underneath Amtrak's Hell Gate Bridge, provides pedestrian and bicycle access between the island and the Port Morris neighborhood of the Bronx and to the South Bronx Greenway.[9] The connector opened in November 2015.[10]
A 2006 plan for a water park—the first in the nation for a large city—on the northwest corner of Randalls Island was controversial. Announced by the Giuliani administration as a $48 million, 15-acre (61,000 m2) project, the proposal expanded to encompass 26 acres (110,000 m2) at a projected cost of $168 million before being cancelled in 2007.[11]
See also
References
- ^ Kadinsky, Sergey (2016). Hidden Waters of New York City: A History and Guide to 101 Forgotten Lakes, Ponds, Creeks, and Streams in the Five Boroughs. New York, NY: Countryman Press. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-1-58157-566-8.
- ^ Ammann, O.H. (August 1917). "The Hell Gate Arch Bridge and Approaches of the New York Connecting Railroad over the East River in New York City". Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 43: 1763–1767.
- ^ Harlem, NY-NJ Quadrangle (Map). 1:62,500. 15 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 1900. § SW. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
- ^ Rastorfer, Darl (2000). Six Bridges: The Legacy of Othmar H. Ammann. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 166. ISBN 0-300-08047-6.
- ^ Bindley, Katherine (September 6, 2008). "On the Water, a Tight Fit and Nervous Boaters". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
- ^ Koh, Eun Lee (March 4, 2001). "Not Merely a Footbridge, but a Path to a Rare Oasis". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
- ^ Hu, Winnie (July 29, 2015). "Connector Between Randalls Island and Bronx Is to Open This Summer". The New York Times. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ "Pact will let city build bridge to Randall's Island". Mott Haven Herald. May 21, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ "South Bronx Greenway". New York City Economic Development Corporation. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ Small, Eddie (November 11, 2015). "Long-Awaited Randall's Island Connector to Open This Weekend". DNA Info. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ Danis, Kirsten (September 22, 2007). "City Cancels Plans for Randalls Island Water Park". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
