A new surveillance camera was put in place in recent weeks on the southbound side of the Northway just north of the Upper Sherman Avenue overpass in the town of Queensbury. (Provided photo — Don Lehman, The Post-Star)

The new surveillance cameras and video boards installed locally along the Northway are part of a network to “improve communication with the traveling public,” state officials announced Wednesday.

The office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of the new network of cameras, two days after a Post-Star article that highlighted the recent installation of cameras and video boards locally but pointed out that state officials wouldn’t detail their purpose.

Cuomo’s office said that nearly 300 additional electronic message boards and traffic cameras have been installed along “major traffic corridors” around the state.

The new highway cameras and “variable message signs” are part of an effort pushed by Cuomo “to improve communication with the traveling public, enhance safety and promote greater situational awareness among motorists and traffic system managers.”

They have been installed in medians and along the Northway, Thruway and interstates 81, 88, 84, 86 and 490 as well as “metro area highways” in the Buffalo area.

Cuomo’s office said in a news release that the cameras and boards were “part of the governor’s proactive approach to managing traffic during heavy snowstorms, extreme weather, vehicular crashes and other events that impact travel.”

The state Department of Transportation installed and activated an additional 125 cameras and 143 message boards at “critical locations along major traffic corridors,” according to the governor’s office.

With the addition of the new equipment, there are 1,150 state DOT cameras and more than 550 DOT message boards connected to DOT’s 10 “transportation management centers.” Live streams of the videos are publicly accessible via the website 511NY.

The additional message signs increase the DOT’s reach in announcing and updating snowstorm-related travel bans, particularly for long-haul truck operators, as well as providing timely information to drivers already on the road.

The DOT said the cameras will not record video, and will only be viewable as a live feed.

State Police will have access to the live feeds when needed, and the cameras are not equipped with “license plate reader” technology that singles out those with suspended registrations or vehicles being sought in connection with crimes.

State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett was quoted in the state news release as saying: “The new electronic signs and cameras are a welcome addition that will enhance the ability of State Police and our partners at DOT and the Thruway Authority to manage traffic and weather incidents, and communicate effectively with motorists. This project supports our shared mission of prioritizing safety first.”

The cost of the project was not released.