Q: Since the inception of the Social Security retirement system, how much money has been contributed, and how much money has been disbursed?
— Ted Brown, Lilburn
A: The Social Security program had taken in $13.8 trillion and paid out $11.3 trillion from 1937 -- when the taxes were collected and the first payments were made -- through 2009, according to U.S. Social Security Administration.
Q: I read that the area known as Spaghetti Junction is five levels high and has 16 separate bridges on it. During rush hour, when the traffic is heavy, how many vehicles are (or can be) actually on that piece of freeway engineering at any one point in time?
— Laurel Dickenson, Duluth
A: Without being specific with the exact parameters of the interchange (some people consider the interchange extending all the way to Buford Highway on I-285) and just including the actual bridges of the interchange, the Georgia Department of Transportation measured seven flyover bridges for a total of 13,400 feet. The DOT divided that by 25 feet for the average length of a car, including the spaces in between and came up with a capacity of 536 cars. This is the estimate if traffic was completely stopped, Mark D. McKinnon, Georgia DOT spokesman, told Q&A on the News in email. "When traffic is moving, this number would change due to different spacing," he wrote. "Obviously, another variable that must be taken into account is that there are other larger vehicles that utilize this interchange."
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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