Abstract: The presence of ice jam increases the possibility of upstream water level, which can easily trigger ice jam flooding. Bridge pier types can significantly influence backwater heights. By using a series of experiments in the laboratory, the impact of bridge-pier types were investigated. It shows that, when Fr ≤ 0.145, the backwater height from ice jam without pier is smaller than that with piers. When Fr>0.145, the backwater height from ice jam without pier is larger than that with piers. The sequence of backwater height due to ice jam is the tip-shaped pier, rectangular pier, Round end-shaped pier, cylindrical pier from large to small. For rivers that have ice jam problems, it is better to choose cylindrical pier or round end-shaped pier.