The Kill Van Kull is a tidal strait between Staten Island New York and Bayonne New Jersey in the United States. Approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1000 feet (305 m) wide it connects Newark Bay with Upper New York Bay.1 The Robbins Reef Light marks the eastern end of the Kill Bergen Point its western end. Spanned by the Bayonne Bridge it is one of the most heavily travelled waterways in the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Historically it has been one of the most important channels for the commerce of the region providing a passage for marine traffic between Upper New York Bay and the industrial towns of northeastern New Jersey. During the colonial era it played a significant role in travel between New York and the southern colonies with passengers changing from ferries to coaches at Elizabethtown. Since the final third of the 20th century it has provided the principal access for ocean-going container ships to Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal the busiest port facility in the eastern United States and Howland Hook Marine Terminal. To accommodate the passage of ever larger ships the strait has required continued dredging and deepening. In many areas the sandy bottom has been excavated down to rock and now requires blasting.2345 Contents 1 Hydronym 2 See also 3 Gallery 4 Notes 5 External links Hydronym

The name "Kill van Kull" has its roots in the early 17th century during the Dutch colonial era when the region was part of New Netherland. The naming of places by early explorers and settlers during the era often referred to a location in reference to other places its shape its topography and other geographic qualities. The area around the Newark Bay was called Achter Kol.6 The bay lies behind Bergen Hill the emerging ridge of the Hudson Palisades which begins on Bergen Neck the peninsula between it and the Upper New York Bay. Behind or achter the ridge was a col or passage to the interior. Kill comes from the Middle Dutch word kille meaning riverbed water channel or stream. During the British colonial era the bay was known as Cull bay.7

Kill van Kull translates as channel from the pass or ridge. The name of the sister channel to the Kill van Kull the nearby Arthur Kill is an anglicisation of achter kill meaning back channel which would refer to its location "behind" Staten Island. See also Port Richmond Staten Island Port Johnston Coal Docks Geography of New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary List of crossings of the Hackensack River  Bridges of the Newark Bay Upstream Newark and New York Railroad Bridge (Hackensack River & Passaic River) (demolished) Lincoln Highway (Hackensack River & Passaic River) Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge

Newark Bay Bridge CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge (demolished) Downstream Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge (Arthur Kill) Bayonne Bridge (Kill Van Kull) Gallery

View of the Kill from the Bayonne Bridge

The United States Army Corps of Engineers dredge brings up debris of blasted bedrock during the widening of the channel by 50 feet

Ships in Upper New York Bay wait to enter the Kill Notes Hudson County New Jersey Street Map. Hagstrom Map Company Inc. 2008. ISBN 0-88097-763-9.  Ports and waterways safety: Kill Van Kull Channel et al. NY and NJ Federal Register April 15 1999 (Nbr. Vol. 64 No. 72) Nadler: Kill Van Kull Fiasco Shows Red Hooks Importance Congressional Press Release Kill Van Kull & Newark Bay Channel Deepening Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 30. April 1999 Corps Announces Start of Test Blasting Work for Kill Van Kull 50 Foot Deepening U. S. Army Corps Of Engineers Media Advisory 1. August 2005 "Historical marker of Achter Col "colony"". Historical Marker Database. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.aspmarker7128. Retrieved 2010-09-02.  Grabas Joseph A.. "Land Speculation and Proprietary Beginnings of New Jersey". The Advocate (New Jersey Land Title Association) XVI (4): 3 20 14. http://www.njlta.org/Dec2004.pdf. Retrieved April 15 2010.  External links Water upgrade for Kill van Kull Staten Island Advance May 20 2010 New York Daily News articles re: Kill van Kull