Sewer Main Break Shuts Down Several Roads Through Valley Forge National Historical Park
By Mark Abrams
UPPER MERION, Pa. (CBS) – A sewer main break in Valley Forge National Historical Park has forced the closure of several roads at the site.
Officials say the break in a 30-inch line, under the intersection at Route 252 and Route 23, was reported to state environmental officials shortly before 11 a.m.
Crews from Tredyffrin Township Sewer Authority in Chester County were dispatched as waste water pouring from the rupture, ran across the roadway and into the nearby Valley Creek which feeds into the Schuylkill River.
A sinkhole also developed in the roadway as a result of the break.
As a result, all roads that run through Valley Forge National Historical Park are closed, including:
- Route 23 eastbound from Davis Road to Rt 252
- Route 23 westbound from N. Gulph Rd to Rt 252
- Route 252 is closed northbound from the PA Turnpike
- North and South Outer Line Drives
- Gulph Rd is closed from Thomas Rd to Rt 23
- Yellow Springs Rd. is closed at the Covered Bridge
PennDOT ordered the closure of Route 252 in the area of the sewer line break and set up road blocks at Route 252 at Yellow Springs Road.
Route 23 between North Gulph Road and Thomas Drive also is closed.
PennDOT is urging motorists to avoid the park.
Meanwhile, township officials say it may be a few days until the line is repaired and the road fixed.
Investigators from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Fish Commission and the National Park Service are monitoring the situation.
It is the second break in the same sewer lines in that general area. Crews responded to a similar break on Feb. 6.