The foundational revamp of MARTA’s largest and most centralized transit hub might be over-budget and behind schedule, but fresh visuals help paint the picture of what’s in store when the grand opening eventually comes. 

New project renderings released by MARTA officials today depict the redeveloped Five Points station as a verdant city center, with a variety of plazas, lush landscaping, and a timber-built canopy structure meant to open up the 50-year-old, formerly bunker-like hub for trains and buses. 

Enhanced pedestrian connections and better lighting will be other focal points, according to MARTA. 

Overview, looking northwest, of landscaping and access plans for the centralized transit hub. MARTA

The planned approach to MARTA's Five Points station from Peachtree Street. MARTA

Alongside its construction partner, Skanska, MARTA has been dismantling the station’s former concrete canopy piece-by-piece since the spring, prepping the site for its 32,000-square-foot canopy and three new pedestrian entrances.  

Jonathan Hunt, MARTA general manager and CEO, recently told the Atlanta City Council’s Transportation Committee that unforeseen delays and other factors could push the ultimate cost of the project from its original estimate, $230 million, up to roughly $330 million, though exact costs are still being worked out. 

Skanska officials have said delays will bump back the completion of Five Points' rebuild from the original target, 2029, to May 2031. 

Fresh look at MARTA's opened-up interior and canopy plans at Five Points. The curved canopy will feature exposed timber beams and a glazed center section over the plaza. MARTA

Skanska officials reported in early October the complex process of deconstructing the old Five Points concrete roof infrastructure was about 60 percent finished. That’s considered the first of five redevelopment phases at the transit hub. 

Five Points, the central transfer point for all MARTA rail lines, remains open as 200,000 pounds of concrete is removed each day, while roughly 50,000 riders pass below on a daily basis. 

Find a closer look at what’s in store in the gallery above. 

MARTA officials say roughly 870,000 pounds of steel was installed at Five Points before deconstruction to help with structural support. MARTA

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