As thousands of students return to school this month, the state Department of Transportation announced it will suspend one week of morning road closures as part of its “Beat the School Jam” initiative.

From 6 to 8 a.m. Aug. 20 to 24, the state will suspend construction-related road closures on major state highways, not including emergency closures.

The state also reminded commuters of free navigational tools available to the public. For Windward commuters the state said it has expanded GoAkamai (goakamai.org) and its mobile app , which offers up-to-the-minute traffic conditions and travel time information for Pali and Likelike highways and the H-3 freeway.

In mid-July the state also installed travel time message boards on Moanalua Freeway and the H-1 freeway Airport Viaduct to help commuters choose the quickest route.

More than 45,000 public, private and college students return to school this month, according to HDOT. Monday was the official first day of school for most public schools in Hawaii, although some held their first day today. University of Hawaii at Manoa students begin the fall semester Aug. 20.

“We have made significant improvements to Hawaii’s transportation infrastructure in the last few years,” said Gov. David Ige in a news release. “We will continue working to improve traffic and to help drivers and pedestrians safely navigate through our busy roadways.”