Province beefs up Amphibex ice-breakers with re-engineered parts

The Province of Manitoba has retrofitted their Amphibex ice-breaking machines in advance of ice-mitigation season.

The machines now have reinforced front pedals to support the hydraulic arms that put the giant Amphibex machines out on solid ice.

According to Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton, the reinforcement means the machines will be able to better break up ice on the Red River but the province didn't reveal specifically how that would happen in their press release or how much the retrofitting cost.

Officials said this was a "key structural reinforcement" that involved re-engineering parts, and the design and production was done in province.

Ice breakers typically head out in Februaryand are used to help prevent ice jams and spring flooding.

The first flood forecast will come out in the last week of February.