| Bridge Name: | Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge |
| Carries: | Four lanes of |
| Crosses: | Saint Louis Bay |
| Locale: | Duluth, MN and Superior, WI |
| Maint: | Wisconsin Department of Transportation |
| Design: | Tied-arch bridge |
| Length: | 11800feet |
| Designer: | Amardo J. Romano |
| Open: | October 25, 1984 |
| Coordinates: | 46.7314°N -92.1438°W |
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 11800feet long, including about 8300feet 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. 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.
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.[2] The bridge was originally to be named Arrowhead Bridge, after the old wood trestle–bascule bridge it replaced.[3]
Construction on the bridge began in 1979, and it was opened on October 25, 1984.[4]
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 1.5miles 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]
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]