Venue: Bronx Kill
Town: New York City, US

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. 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. Similarly, the truss bridge of the Triborough Bridge across the Bronx Kill was designed to be convertible to a lift bridge. However, much of the Bronx Kill was later filled in to expand the parkland on Randalls Island. 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. 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. 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. 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. At the time, the two