490 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

son at least five days' notice of such intended change, and an
opportunity to be heard thereon, or unless such person shall
waive such notice. Any person interested may appeal to the
Circuit Court for Baltimore county from the final order of rati-
fication or rejection of such report or award by the Highways
Commission, the parties to such appeal to be arranged in the
record of proceedings as their actual interests may require,
said appeal to be taken within the time and subject to the pro-
visions hereinafter contained. If after the proceedings afore-
said it shall be finally determined that a road shall be opened,
altered, relocated or closed as aforesaid, then the entire cost
thereof, including a sufficient amount to refund to the depositor
the preliminary cost, and all damages to be paid persons found
to be damaged by such proposed work, shall be deemed due and
payable by the persons or district funds to whom or which the
same was assessed as aforesaid, and such assessment or award
shall be considered a tax and lien upon the property, real and
personal, of the person or corporation assessed, to the same ex-
tent and as fully as State and county taxes, and subject to the
same limitation as to time, if not paid within thirty days of the
final order of ratification of such award or return, may be col-
lected by the Treasurer of the county by an action of debt or in
the same manner as other taxes are ordinarily collected, or by
a bill in equity at the instance of the Treasurer for the enforce-
ment of such lien. When all of such assessments shall have
been paid into the County Treasury as aforesaid, the Commis-
sion shall give an order on the Treasurer for the repayment to
the depositors of the amount paid into the Treasury by them for
preliminary expenses as above provided. No work shall be done
on said road nor any contract made therefor, and if the petition
be for the closing of a road, no final order closing such road
shall be passed, until all the assessments made as aforesaid
shall have been actually paid into the County Treasury, and
when any new road is to be opened or old one altered or im-
proved, the work may be given out by contract or be done by
the Commission under the direction of the Roads Engineer
and superintendence of the Road Supervisors of their district,
as the Commission may determine; provided the contract price
or cost of construction of such road as the case may be shall not
exceed the amount of the net assessments collected for that pur-
pose, and the Commission shall not pay in full for the making
of. such road until the same shall have been thoroughly ex-
amined and accepted them, and when so examined and accepted
said road shall be opened to public travel, and shall be recorded
as a public road of the county, and thenceforth kept in repair as
such; provided, however, that the Commission shall not be
liable in damages for any injury happening on said road by