MnDOT places new US flags on bridges

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota transportation officials have installed their own U.S. flags on highway overpasses in the northwest Twin Cities.

MnDOT was criticized after ordering a Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost to remove U.S. flags from bridges.

The Palmer Lake VFW in Brooklyn Park had been flying American flags over five highway overpasses for eight years.

MnDOT cited concerns about distracted driving. It's against state law to place or affix any advertisement or object within the limits of a highway.

But transportation officials concluded it was OK for MnDOT to buy and install the flags. MnDOT also says its installation will ensure that the flags are secure, and that anything that comes loose would land away from the road.

The department Friday installed flags on 11 bridges along Highways 610, 10 and 252.

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