Fixing pipeline problems in Tredyffrin Twp.

TREDYFFRIN TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- Work continues along a busy stretch of roadway in Tredyffrin Township near Valley Forge Historical Park.

Parts of Route 252 have been plagued by sewer eruptions, causing several road closures.

Now a fix is underway in hopes of preventing that problem for good.

The solution is a 30,000 pound section of high density polyethylene pipe.

Three times since 2012 a large underground concrete sewer line failed in Valley Forge Park, frustrating motorists and allowing millions of gallons of untreated waste to spill into Valley Creek.

The line's owner, Tredyffrin Township, was fined. It pledged to create a long-term fix.

Tredyffrin Township engineer Stephen Burgo tells us, "That's kind of gotten us to where we are today with a rehabilitation, relining project of the existing 3 1/2 miles of underground pipeline."

The current deteriorating pipeline built in the 1970s runs from Tredyffrin north through Valley Forge Park, then beneath the Schuylkill River and eventually to the Valley Forge Sewer Treatment plant.

On Tuesday crews began the process of installing a 30 inch plastic pipe. Its diameter is actually compressed so it can be pulled inside the old concrete pipe creating a tough leak resistant liner.

Busy Route 252 has to be closed for the work, but the township says the relining is quicker and cheaper than other options, and it should last a long time.

Burgo explains, "The pipeline that will be going in is expected to last 50-plus years. We would expect to hopefully get longer than that, but it's a 50-plus year - could go as high as 100 years. HDPE pipe is a very durable pipe material."

At this point the hope is this $15 million relining project will be done by the end of August or early September. The road can reopen and concerns about a sewer line break will be a thing of the past.