Downtown transit riders won’t be encountering as many changes as MARTA had initially planned this month—at least not yet—as a summer of Five Points redevelopment controversy and fluctuation continues.  

MARTA officials say talks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens continue, regarding what’s officially called the Five Points Transformation Project, a costly renovation the mayor has asked be halted until a MARTA audit is complete.

Meanwhile, MARTA says eight downtown bus routes that were scheduled to be relocated starting Saturday will instead remain stationed out of Five Points. Other changes impacting customers that were scheduled to begin July 29—including all entries and exits from street level—will also be halted for now.

“We are pausing the immediate implementation of service impacts,” wrote the transit agency in an announcement.

MARTA maintains the best route forward is to pull off Five Points’ concrete canopy and replace it with a modernized, brighter covering, with customer safety being the top priority. The current canopy has been subjected to decades of water intrusion that’s led to damage around the station, including to crucial electric train control equipment, according to MARTA.   

MARTA officials have provided a short, one minute and 47 second YouTube clip with commentary from Five Points’ original architect for more insight on the station’s design flaws, water intrusion, and current damage.

The transit agency “remains steadfast in our belief that removal and replacement of the canopy is the best option, and one that was approved by our partners at the City of Atlanta,” reads a MARTA media statement released this week. “We pledge to continue working with the mayor and other stakeholders to deliver these critical infrastructure and safety improvements, enhance the customer experience, and keep Atlanta moving forward as a world-class destination.”

A refined preview depicting how the opened-up transit hub could look and function. Courtesy of MARTA

In recent weeks, MARTA’s Five Points redevelopment plans—and the schedule for executing them—has been a source of friction between the transit agency and city leaders, mobility advocates, and powerful downtown boosters who’ve raised concerns about the designs and extended impacts on people who depend on downtown transit access.

Last month, opponents organized a rally in hopes of persuading MARTA to reconsider its $250-million renovation and closure of street-level access. 

Detractors, including several city councilmembers, have publicly come out against MARTA’s redesign plan on the basis, in their view, it would detract from a town-square feel and restrict pedestrian and cycling access in favor of infrastructure for 10 bus routes that connect there.

MARTA leaders have acknowledged that changes to the Five Points redevelopment strategy are in the works. That could include the installation of a temporary elevator at Five Points to accommodate riders with disabilities during construction who would otherwise have to exit trains and take a shuttle bus between Georgia State and Peachtree Center stations to avoid closures at the central transit hub.

MARTA officials have stressed the full Five Points renovation is estimated to take four years, but that street-level access wouldn't be impacted for that long. MARTA engineers are currently studying ways to open at least one entrance to the Five Points station to allow for street-level access to the facility during construction, but that’s not expected to come until after the canopy is fully removed after 18 months.

Once the overhaul is finished, MARTA hopes the bunker-like, 1970s transit hub will be more of a vibrant, centralized city center with smoother access to trains and buses.

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