Q: How many handicap permits have been issued in the metro Atlanta area? What is the percentage increase from past years? It seems there are an inordinate amount.
—Kathleen Piska, Marietta
A: Atlanta area counties are on a pace to issue about 15 percent more new disabled parking permits this year than in 2014.
Those counties — Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Paulding and Rockdale – had issued 53,833 new permits by the end of August, according to data from the Georgia Department of Revenue.
Those counties are on track to have nearly 81,000 new disabled parking permits by the end of this year.
About 70,000 new permits had been issued each year since 2012 (72,116 in 2012, 66,842 in 2013 and 69,135 in 2014), but the number of permits hasn’t increased in every county every year.
Fewer new permits were issued in Cobb County in 2013 than in 2012, and even fewer in 2014. Forsyth County has added about 3,100 new permits each year.
Drivers must complete the MV-9D form on the Department of Revenue website (dor.georgia.gov) to apply for a disabled parking permit.
Q: In 2014, the Georgia DOT re-paved one of two lanes of I-285 East to I-75 South, just below Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The busier inner lane remains in poor condition and has become increasingly hazardous. Does GDOT have a timeline for this work?
—George Latzanich, Fairburn
A: The section of I-285 from Moreland Avenue to Washington Road is on GDOT's priority list, but no date has been set to begin work, spokeswoman Annalysce Baker-Wilson told Q&A on the News in an email.
Priority list projects are completed as funding becomes available, she wrote.
Allison Floyd with Fast Copy News Service 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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