Motorists who travel the northbound Garden State Parkway in the area of the Driscoll Bridge were met Monday morning by a new traffic pattern for an eight-month construction project.

Despite signs that have been warning of the shifting lanes for weeks, traffic backed up for more than 5 miles in the local lanes during the morning rush hour, according to 511nj.org, the state's traffic website.

The shift is necessary because work to replace the bridges over Chevalier Avenue in Sayreville is entering the next phase, according to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

While the number of lanes won't change north of where the local and express lanes merge, four lanes will be directed to the left and three will go to the right.

Drivers who want to access exits 125 or 127 should stay to the right of the work zone, officials say. Those motorists are advised to use the local rather than the express lanes to avoid having to cut across several lanes of traffic.

Over the weekend, workers moved the construction barrier, changed signs and painted new stripes on the Parkway.

Earlier Monday, northbound delays backed up to exit 120 in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge and exit 125 due to volume and the revised traffic pattern, according to 511nj.com.

The new southbound exit 125 opened in July. The project to replace the Chevalier Avenue bridges over the Parkway is slated to wrap up in 2019.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.