§ 42. Enforcement of a lien under contract for a public improvement. A lien for labor done or materials furnished for a public improvement may be enforced against the funds of the state or the public corporation for which such public improvement is constructed or demolished, to the extent prescribed in article two of this chapter, and against the contractor or subcontractor liable for the debt, by a civil action, in the same court and in the same manner as a mechanic's lien on real property.