§ 50. Petition for improvement of highway where a street surface railroad is laid. Where a street surface railroad shall be laid in any street, highway or public place in any town, village, or in any city of the second or third classes, which it was heretofore or shall hereafter be determined to pave, improve, reconstruct or repair, as provided in this chapter, the municipality may petition for such improvement as provided in sections forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight or forty-nine. If such petition is approved by the department of transportation the procedure to be followed shall be that prescribed in the sections mentioned above and the proposals and contract for such improvement, reconstruction or repair shall include the improvement, reconstruction or repair of the space between the tracks of such street surface railroad, the rails of such tracks and two feet in width outside of such tracks, and the work of improvement, reconstruction or repair in such space shall be done at the same time and under the same supervision as the work of improvement, reconstruction or repair of the remainder of such street, highway or public place. The department of transportation may prescribe the materials to be used in paving, improving, reconstructing or repairing such street, highway or public place within the railroad space above described, and upon the proper completion of the work, the department of transportation shall certify to the board of trustees of such village, or the common council of cities of the second or third classes, as the case may be, the cost of the pavement, improvement, reconstruction or repair of such street, highway or public place within such railroad space, and the entire expense of the pavement, reconstruction or repair within such railroad space whether heretofore or hereafter made or ordered, shall be assessed and levied upon the property of the company owning or operating such railroad, and shall be collected in the same manner as other expenses for local improvements are assessed, levied and collected in such town, village or city; and an action may also be maintained by the municipality against the company in any court of record for the collecton of such expense and assessment.