More than 58,000 college and private school students will be going back to class starting today — with the largest group hitting the streets on Aug. 20 — and officials are urging motorists to car pool, walk, even change their schedules to avoid the annual back-to-school traffic jam.

"Certainly, it's a time to consider what each and every one of us can do to help mitigate the traffic situation that is upon us," Barry Fukunaga, director of the state Department of Transportation, said yesterday at a news conference.

Radio advertisements are set to begin airing next week to remind drivers about the approaching rush, he said. The Department of Transportation also will postpone roadwork and lane closures during daylight in busy areas from Aug. 20 to Sept. 3.

Fukunaga also highlighted the need to maintain vehicles to avoid breakdowns on the freeway, and the importance of ride-sharing.

"Make sure your vehicles are properly maintained and serviced. What we find is that for every minute a vehicle is delayed on our roadway, it has a 10-minute impact on those behind the vehicle," he said.

He also urged commuters to consider creating car pools with co-workers or using car-pooling services, such as Vanpool Hawaii.

The back-to-school rush will culminate when more than 40,000 University of Hawai'i students from six campuses, including the university's flagship Manoa campus, return to school on Aug. 20.

Including private school students, who start heading back this week, and students from other local colleges, the number of people hitting the books — and the roads — after summer break is more than 58,000.

U-PASS AN OPTION

Officials yesterday highlighted some of the options for keeping cars off the roads.

For example, university and college students are eligible for a special bus pass, called the U-Pass, said Roger Morton, general manager of Oahu Transit Services. The pass costs $100 a semester, a savings over the regular $40 monthly fee for a general pass, he said. The U-Pass is available on college campuses.

In its past three years, the U-Pass has been successful in getting more college students to use the bus and perhaps keep their cars at home, Morton said.

Last year, an average of 7,000 students a day rode the bus using the U-Pass, Morton said. That number was significantly higher than the 4,000 college students a day who took advantage of the U-Pass a year before, he said.

"We're hoping the number will rise to 8,000 to 10,000 students a day," he said.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.