It used to freeze regularly and required Key Bridge to be built with extra reinforcement upstream to brace against the ice floes.
The older Aqueduct Bridge had to be replaced due to river ice damage
> Ice jams were a routine hazard on the Potomac River into the 1960s. Although the jams often stuck against the bridge, it weathered them well until 1908. Ice damaged some of the bridge's piers, requiring reconstruction of Pier No. 1 in the summer.
X12NOP t1_j2b0kec wrote
Reply to Never thought I would see icy Potomac by VishMeLuck
It used to freeze regularly and required Key Bridge to be built with extra reinforcement upstream to brace against the ice floes.
The older Aqueduct Bridge had to be replaced due to river ice damage
> Ice jams were a routine hazard on the Potomac River into the 1960s. Although the jams often stuck against the bridge, it weathered them well until 1908. Ice damaged some of the bridge's piers, requiring reconstruction of Pier No. 1 in the summer.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct_Bridge_(Potomac_River)