City and state officials warn Honolulu commuters that back-to-school season means traffic congestion on the island’s freeways.

In preparation, the state Department of Transportation will put freeway construction on hold during Aug. 22-26 and will modify the H-1 Freeway ZipperLane requirements to allow more cars to use it.

“Nearly 55,000 students will be returning to school throughout the month of August, so we encourage people to make use of alternative modes of transportation like carpooling, bicycling, walking or riding TheBus to avoid increased traffic,” said Deputy DOT Director Jade Butay.

Hours for the weekday H-1 Freeway Lunalilo Street onramp closure will be modified to help maintain traffic flow. Beginning Monday, the onramp will be reopened for one hour at 8 a.m.

Commuters are also encouraged to use www.goakamai.org to get updated screenshots of traffic around the island.