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Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
Bridge in MN and Superior, WI From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, via U.S. Highway 2 (US 2). Opened on October 25, 1984, it is roughly 11,800 feet (3,600 m) long, including about 8,300 feet (2,500 m) over water.[1] 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.[2] The Bong Bridge is one of three bridges connecting Duluth and Superior. A through-arch bridge downstream from the Bong -- the John A. Blatnik Bridge -- carries Interstate 535 (I-535) over the water. The third bridge is the Oliver Bridge, which connects the Gary – New Duluth neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota with the village of Oliver, Wisconsin. The bridge is 1,889 feet (576 m) long[1] and is principally of steel truss construction. The upper deck carries a single track rail line and a lower deck carries the road connecting Wisconsin Highway 105 to Minnesota State Highway 39.
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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.[3] The bridge was originally to be named Arrowhead Bridge, after the old wood trestle–bascule bridge it replaced.[4]
Construction on the bridge began in 1979, and it was opened on October 25, 1984.[2]
The bridge was 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 1.5-mile (2.4 km) length of approach bridges. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation designed the channel span (tied arch). Its central suspension section is made of Japanese steel.[5]
In 2007, the Bong Bridge won a Wonders of Wisconsin Engineering Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies, Wisconsin Chapter, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary.[6]
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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.[7]
See also
References
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