Amphibex icebreakers, which have been working on the Red River north of Selkirk, could soon be in Winnipeg to take a crack at ice jams in the city. (Government of Manitoba)

The city is patching holes in its streets while trying to make holes in the Red River.

Potholes have made the streets look like a war zone, while ice jams on the river are threatening to cause flooding on 195 properties in the city.

Following a few days of snowy, cold weather, City of Winnipeg pothole-patching crews were back in action Thursday. Five cold-mix patching crews working by hand, as well as five patching machines that spray a hot mixture of asphalt into the holes, began operating on extended hours.

In addition, 14 thawing crews are working 12-hour shifts around the clock to open frozen sewer inlets and culverts and allow run-off from melting snow to drain. Crews are also removing snow, ice and debris from city ditches to enable water run-off and prevent overland flooding.

That has become a major concern as nearly 20 centimetres of snow were dumped on the city this week.

Amphibex Excavators back on ice

At the same time the city is filling holes, the provincial government is trying to punch holes through the frozen river surface to break up the ice.

The machines, essentially floating backhoes, had been sitting idle on dry land for a while. On Wednesday, an ice auger known as a Wolverine, which scores the frozen river in front of Amphibex Excavators, broke through the ice north of Selkirk.

The operator swam the short distance to shore and the Wolverine was pulled out with straps attached to a backhoe on shore. The Wolverine was damaged by the water and is currently inoperable. A second Wolverine is also out of action as it is being serviced.

That left the Amphibex machines on their own. It was initially thought they wouldn't be able to do the job without the aid of the Wolverines, but that hasn't been the case.

"If you were to go out there today, the two machines are working in tandem and … from what I observed, they are probably moving 100 metres every half hour," Manitoba Water Stewardship spokesman Steve Topping said. "So they are making very good progress."

The machines have been operating north of Selkirk but it's possible the icebreakers will be moved into the Winnipeg city limits, where ice jams have become a growing threat.

The equipment was used with some success around the Redwood Bridge a few years ago, Topping said.

That is one of the locations of a possible jam again this year. Three other locations within city limits have also been identified: at the South Perimeter Bridge, Kingston Crescent, and the Louise Bridge.