DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly
LONG ISLAND CITY — Service on the East River Ferry was suspended Tuesday morning because of icy conditions on the waterway — the first time the ferry has been suspended during a weekday commute.
Service was suspended “until further notice,” according to an alert on the East River Ferry’s website. Riders were told to check back frequently for updates.
Parts of the East River have been frozen over and coated with huge chunks of ice recently, as a deep freeze has brought temperatures in the city down to the teens and single digits.
Ferry service was also suspended on Monday.
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This week was the first time the ferry has been suspended during weekday commutes since the service started in 2011, according to Pat Smith, an East River Ferry spokesman.
The company also suspended service several weekend days earlier this month due to ice in the river.
It’s unclear when service will return, Smith said.
The tides change several times a day, meaning the way the ice floats is “nearly impossible to predict,” a blog post about the conditions explains.
The ferry has also skipped certain stops this month in the face of ice.
“It’s hard to get a handle on it,” Smith said.
When service is suspended, the ferry goes on stand-by and is prepared to start working again if conditions change, Smith said.
