§ 240. Refusal to repair. If the town board of either of such towns, after notice in writing from the town board of any other of such towns, given by the town clerk thereof, shall not within twenty days give their consent in writing to build or repair any such bridge, and shall not within a reasonable time thereafter direct, by resolution, the same to be done, the town board giving such notice may direct the town superintendent to make or repair such bridge, and then maintain an action in the name of the town, against the town which neglects or refuses to join in such making or repairing, and in such action, the plaintiffs shall be entitled to recover so much from the defendant, as the town would be liable to contribute to the same, together with costs and interest.

Terms Used In N.Y. Highway Law 240

  • Bridge: means a structure including supports erected over a depression or an obstruction such as water, highway, or railway, having a track or passageway for carrying traffic or other moving loads and having an opening measured along the center of the track or roadway of more than twenty feet between under croppings of abutments or spring lines or arches, or extreme ends of openings for multiple boxes and may include multiple pipes where the clear distance between openings is less than half of the smaller contiguous opening. See N.Y. Highway Law 230
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.