Section 234. Powers and duties of an applicant

An applicant shall have the
  power and authority to:
    1. undertake and carry out any project for which state  assistance  is
  received  or  to  be  received pursuant to this article and maintain and
  operate such project;
    2. expend money received from the state pursuant to this  article  for
  costs incurred in conjunction with the approved project;
    3.  perform such other and further acts as may be necessary, proper or
  desirable to carry out a project or obligation, duty or function related
  thereto;
    4. for local street or highway projects outside the city of New  York,
  determine,   subject   to   the   approval   of  the  commissioner,  the
  suballocations, of the allocation determined for such county pursuant to
  subdivision two of section two hundred thirty-three of this chapter that
  should be made available to the towns,  cities,  villages,  within  each
  county  and to the county itself. Such suballocation determination shall
  be based on information and data  furnished  each  such  county  by  the
  commissioner  for  such  purpose.  The applications for state assistance
  shall be made in accordance with  such  suballocations  and  within  the
  total allocation determined to be available to such county;
    5.  enter  into  contracts  with the towns, cities and villages within
  such county with respect to undertaking local street or highway projects
  on the town highway, or city or village highway, street or road  systems
  respectively; and
    6.  for local street or highway projects, to undertake the work of the
  project either with its own forces or by contract, however, whenever the
  estimate for the  construction  contract  work  exceeds  fifty  thousand
  dollars  such  work must be performed by contract let by the competitive
  bid process.