The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; 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 Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. 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 Interstate 535 (I-535) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway spur route of I-35 in the US states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is paired with U.S. Highway 53 (US 53) along its entire route. The Interstate was part of the original 1956 Int ...

(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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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. Tied arch of Bong Bridge

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.

References

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Bridges , place = Saint Louis River , bridge = Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge , bridge signs = US 2

, 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 = CN Railway logo

, downstream =

, downstream signs = I-535

Bong Memorial Bridge Bong Memorial Bridge Buildings and structures in Duluth, Minnesota Transportation in Duluth, Minnesota Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Wisconsin

Bong A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. In the bong shown in the photo, the gas flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right. ...

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

History

Accident

See also

References