Quote:
Originally Posted by The Best Forumer
I did not know that...
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The river indeed freezes, but if push comes to shove that wouldn't necessarily stop the boat tours. The city and the Army Corp of Engineers will strategically break up the ice in the river over the course of winter when it reaches a certain thickness in order to ensure the navigability of the river. This is done primarily for emergency boats (CPD, CFD and the Coast Guard). The Army Corp of Engineers focuses on the lock system near Lake Michigan, with the city icebreakers handling the remainder of the river system.
The river is still a commercial channel as well, and shipping occurs during the winter as it would in the summer. If any of the barges cannot handle the thickness of the ice on their own, they contract out private icebreaking companies. Yes, those are a
thing.