With heavy traffic, humidity and temperatures hovering around the 90 degree mark, the Minnesota Department of Transportation says its ready to respond to any road buckling on the state's highways. MnDOT says so far, no roads have buckled due to the conditions.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has recommended building a new two-lane Highway 43 bridge across the Mississippi River, adjacent and just upstream from the existing span, the Winona Daily News reports.

Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Thomas Sorel is leaving the 5,000-worker agency that he has guided since April 2008, and on Dec. 1 will become the new leader of AAA Minneapolis, a 200,000-member auto club.

After flying American flags for eight years over five highway overpasses, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has told the Palmer Lake VFW in Brooklyn Park to take them down, WCCO reports. For safety reasons, a state law forbids people from affixing objects to an overpass. But VFW officials say they should be able to fly the flag wherever they want.

Their goal is to develop a mix of grass that can survive winter’s cold and salt exposure as well as the heat and humidity of the summer. The research is being funded through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.