Stephanie Hammond returned to Kingston this week to find the front of her University Ave. house nearly inaccessible.

Hammond is one of many students currently affected by the roadwork being done on Earl St., Alfred St. and University Ave.

A gate erected by the contractor partially blocks the entranceway to her house, like others on the street. Over 70 houses have been partially affected by the construction.

“To come in the front door is really tricky,” Hammond, ArtSci ’14 said.

The work commenced in early July and is part of a two-year plan to replace old, underground sewer lines.

Students like Hammond who live in Queen’s-owned houses have been updated on the construction via emails from Queen’s Community Housing.

“I think they’re handling it well,” Hammond, said. “It’s not the University’s fault that there’s road work.”

The finished product will improve the flow of student pedestrian traffic, Roxy Denniston-Stewart, associate dean of student affairs, said.

“The new sidewalks will be wider and obviously brand new, so very even, and so easier to navigate,” she said.

The work will continue this fall for as long as weather permits, with a focus on finishing Earl St. to Collingwood St. and University Ave. between Earl St. and Clergy St.

The rest of University Ave. and Alfred St. are slated to be finished in 2013.

“As [the contractor] move[s] along with the sewer, replacing old lines, they will backfill the trench with gravel,” said Derek Ochej, City of Kingston Public Education and Promotion Coordinator, said.

As the road is backfilled, it will become accessible to local traffic.

“You won’t see the final touches such as pavement and sidewalks going down for a little while,” Ochej said.

“There’s never a good time to do roadwork,” he added. “But I haven’t received any complaints at all that there were any issues with move in.” AMS Municipal Affairs Commissioner Troy Sherman said the AMS has received many emails from students regarding the construction.

“We’ve been trying to get back to everyone as best we can,” Sherman, ArtSci ’14, said. “I think people are just frustrated as they are with all construction.”

The construction zones still have large holes in the ground, a safety concern Sherman said the University has considered. Kingston Media Relations Officer Steven Koopman said he isn’t currently aware of any incidents.

“[The crew] have done their best in terms of really barricading off and guarding that area to make sure there are no or few accidents.”