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The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects Duluth, Minnesota, and
Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...
, via U.S. Highway 2 (US 2). Opened on October 25, 1985, it is roughly long, including about over water. It crosses the Saint Louis Bay, which drains into Lake Superior. The bridge rises 120 feet above the river to accommodate maritime traffic in a 400-foot-wide navigation channel. The Bong Bridge is one of two connecting Duluth and Superior. A through-arch bridge downstream from the Bong -- the
John A. Blatnik Bridge The John A. Blatnik Bridge is the bridge that carries Interstate 535 (I-535) and U.S. Highway 53 (US 53) over the Saint Louis River, a tributary of Lake Superior, between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. The bridge is long an ...
-- carries Interstate 535 (I-535) over the water.


History

The bridge's namesake, Richard Ira Bong, was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II who was named the United States' all-time " Ace of Aces". The designer of the bridge was fellow World War II veteran Amardo J. "Marty" Romano. The bridge was originally to be named ''Arrowhead Bridge'', after the old wood trestle– bascule bridge it replaced. Construction on the bridge began in 1982, and it was opened on October 25, 1985. The bridge is one of the largest public works projects undertaken by the state of Wisconsin. Ayres Associates, an architectural/engineering company based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, managed the project and designed the length of approach bridges. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation designed the channel span (tied arch). Its central suspension section is made of Japanese steel. In 2007, the Bong Bridge won a Wonders of Wisconsin Engineering Award from the
American Council of Engineering Companies The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the oldest and largest business association of engineering companies. It is organized as a federation of 52 state and regional councils with national headquarters in Washington, D.C., compris ...
, Wisconsin Chapter, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary.


Accident

The bridge was the scene of a 16-vehicle pile-up on January 27, 2005, in which 10 people were hospitalized and a baby was given an emergency delivery but subsequently died.


See also

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References

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Bridges , place = Saint Louis River , bridge = Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =
Oliver Bridge The Oliver Bridge is a bridge across the Saint Louis River. It was constructed in 1910 as a railway bridge by the Interstate Transfer Railway Company, a Wisconsin corporation, under special federal authorization from the 60th United States Congr ...
, upstream signs = , downstream =
John A. Blatnik Bridge The John A. Blatnik Bridge is the bridge that carries Interstate 535 (I-535) and U.S. Highway 53 (US 53) over the Saint Louis River, a tributary of Lake Superior, between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. The bridge is long an ...
, downstream signs = Bong Memorial Bridge Bong Memorial Bridge Buildings and structures in Duluth, Minnesota Transportation in Duluth, Minnesota Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Wisconsin Bong U.S. Route 2 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Superior, Wisconsin Tied arch bridges in the United States Steel bridges in the United States 1985 establishments in Minnesota 1985 establishments in Wisconsin