Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge
Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge | |
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File:Bong Bridge.jpg
Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge from the Duluth, Minnesota hillside looking southwest toward Superior, Wisconsin and Billings Park.
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Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Carries | Four lanes of ![]() |
Crosses | Saint Louis Bay |
Locale | Duluth, MN and Superior, WI |
Characteristics | |
Design | Tied-arch bridge |
Total length | 11,800 ft (3,600 m) |
History | |
Opened | October 25, 1985 |
The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects Duluth, Minnesota with Superior, Wisconsin via U.S. Highway 2. Opened on October 25, 1985, it is roughly 11,800 feet (3,600 meters) long. About 8,300 feet (2,500 meters) of that length is over water. It crosses over the Saint Louis Bay that drains into Lake Superior. The bridge’s namesake, Richard Ira Bong, was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and was named the United States' all time "Ace of Aces". The bridge was originally to be named the Arrowhead Bridge after the old wood trestle-bascule bridge which it replaced in 1985.[1] The bridge's central suspension section is made of Japanese steel.[2]
The bridge is one of the largest public works projects ever undertaken by the state of Wisconsin. Ayres Associates, an architectural/engineering company based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, designed the 1.5-mile length of approach bridges and was responsible for overall project management. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation designed the channel span (tied arch).
In 2007, the Bong Bridge won a Wonders of Wisconsin Engineering Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies, Wisconsin Chapter. The award program was held in recognition of the chapter's 50th anniversary.[3]
The bridge had a major sixteen vehicle pile-up on January 27, 2005, in which a newborn baby was killed and 10 people were hospitalized.[4]
References
- ↑ "The late, great, Arrowhead Bridge" Duluth News Tribune http://attic.areavoices.com/2008/02/19/the-late-great-arrowhead-bridge/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Transportation Development Association Newsletter, April 2008. http://www.tdawisconsin.org/data/publications/0408news.pdf
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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