New York Consolidated Laws, Highway Law - HAY § 118-a. Abandoning of parts of county highways

Whenever, pursuant to this act or under the provisions of any statute, any county road shall have been widened, straightened, extended, drained, paved and/or otherwise improved and in the process thereof a county shall have acquired from an adjacent owner certain lands necessary for said right-of-way by purchase, condemnation or as a gift and where under such circumstances either the grantor of said new right-of-way shall own the property on both sides thereof for the full length of the new taking or the consent in writing of any and all other owners within such area be given, and there shall be sections of the old road as it existed before said improvement which are of no further use for highway purposes to said county, the board of supervisors of said county in which said land is situated, upon the recommendation of the county superintendent of highways, may abandon to the abutting owner or owners such sections or parts of the old road as it existed before said improvement which are of no further use for highway purposes, providing the road after such abandonment shall not be less than three rods in width, and the chairman of the board of supervisors of said county is hereby authorized to execute and acknowledge in the name of the county and affix the seal of the county to a quit-claim deed or deeds of the land so abandoned and to deliver the same to the abutting owner or owners for such consideration and upon such terms and conditions as the board of supervisors of the county shall deem proper.

Whenever, pursuant to this chapter or under the provisions of any statute, the maintenance of any section of a highway by the state is discontinued by official order or otherwise and the maintenance thereof transferred to a county, and such section of such road is of no further use for highway purposes to said county, the board of supervisors in which said land is situated, upon the recommendation of the county superintendent of highways, may adopt a resolution to abandon to the abutting owner or owners of such section of such road which is of no further use for highway purposes, and the chairman of the board of supervisors of said county is hereby authorized to execute and acknowledge in the name of the county, and affix the seal of the county to a quit claim deed or deeds of the lands so abandoned, and to deliver the same to the abutting owner or owners for such consideration and upon such terms and conditions as the board of supervisors of said county shall deem proper.

The adoption of the hereinbefore mentioned resolution by the board of supervisors shall be an immediate abandonment and discontinuance of the use for highway and street purposes of said sections or parts of the old road described in said resolution without any further or other proceeding.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the superintendent of highways, with the approval by resolution of the board of supervisors, may establish parking areas on land which would ordinarily be abandoned by the highway department, due to new right-of-ways, or widening, straightening, extending, draining, paving or otherwise improving highways.  The superintendent may also place upon said parking areas suitable picnic tables and facilities for the traveling public.  The area so developed by the superintendent of highways shall be used for parking and resting purposes primarily and shall not be developed for or as a public park.