ATLANTA — Atlanta city leaders are coming together on Tuesday to urge a pause on renovation at MARTA's Five Points station in Atlanta.
Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman, Atlanta City Council Member Jason Dozier, and Executive Director of PropeATL Rebecca Serna were among those in attendance.
The planned renovation sparked some controversy and would essentially shut down the station for several months.
On Tuesday, officials argued that MARTA's current plan would negatively affect many in the community who rely on the trains for transportation.
Serna, who spoke first, claimed that MARTA was adding extra time to commuters' trips by shutting down the station and that extra time could be the difference between changing jobs in a timely fashion or showing up to work late.
"When we hear this is just an inconvenience, that's just not true," she remarked. "It's easy to say something is inconvenient when you don't rely on it."
Shipman, meanwhile, noted that he wants to know more about how the funds for the repairs are being used.
He pointed to a recent audit of MARTA's bus system and questions about where money for that project event went.
Many in attendance pointed to other ways MARTA could spend its city funds, including installing more elevators to make the station more accessible for those with disabilities.
Shipman also echoed claims from some officials that MARTA's plan came as a surprise, adding he knew no one was aware the station would be closed or had even seen the plan until recently.
Both he and Serna mentioned a fear that shutting down Five Points Station for 18 months would push residents away from using public transportation, a trend that could be costly years down the line.
Shipman even claimed, "Atlanta is lacking in its transit ridership since COVID, compared to other cities."
Dozier, on the other hand, discussed just how vital MARTA was for him for years when he had no car in the city.
He also claimed MARTA was putting priority on finishing before the World Cup in 2026 over having reliable transportation for Atlanta's citizens.
"We can't base generational decisions on just the World Cup," Dozier added. "We have to think about the regular people, the regular Atlantans."
A MARTA spokesperson responded to Tuesday's press conference saying the project is still 'full steam ahead',
"We are full steam ahead to revitalize Five Points and deliver an enhanced experience for our riders with as limited disruption as possible. Delaying this work is irresponsible and does nothing to alleviate the service impacts necessary for such complex deconstruction work. The time to do this work is now, not years from now when we will be left with no choice and potentially forced to close the entire station without the benefit of detour planning and communications.
We welcome all viewpoints for a project of this scope and pledge to continue listening and adjusting, when possible, but we remain committed to delivering this project that was approved by our partners at the City, by voters, and supported by the state and federal government."
Marta officials say decades of water intrusion has weakened the concrete canopy creating hazards for customers, adding that the the canopy deconstruction requires a complex support system on the concourse level and temporarily closing the street level is the only way to do the work safely and efficiently.
The project is scheduled to take about four years, but officials say the deconstruction work should only take 18 months, which would re-open street-level access.
Re-watch Tuesday's press conference in the video below:
Atlanta mayor's response
Mayor Andre Dickens released his own statement on the MARTA issue Tuesday, saying:
I echo the frustrations expressed by Atlantans today over the proposed Five Points redevelopment plan. In addition to the serious concerns about accessibility and the potential closure of the station for four years, preliminary findings show MARTA may owe the citizens of Atlanta $70 million—or more. I stand by my call to pause construction activity until we can reassess and determine a better path forward.
MARTA's response
Shortly after the press conference, the transit authority released its rebuttal, saying:
Delaying this work is irresponsible and does nothing to alleviate the service impacts necessary for such complex deconstruction work. The time to do this work is now, not years from now when we will be left with no choice and potentially forced to close the entire station without the benefit of detour planning and communications.
We welcome all viewpoints for a project of this scope and pledge to continue listening and adjusting, when possible, but we remain committed to delivering this project that was approved by our partners at the City, by voters, and supported by the state and federal government.
In addition, the transit authority released the following points:
- Decades of water intrusion has weakened the concrete canopy and continues to damage the inside of the station and create hazards for customers.
- The canopy deconstruction requires a complex support system on the concourse level and temporarily closing the street level is the only way to do the work safely and efficiently.
- The deconstruction work is scheduled to take 18 months, not 4 years. The entire project is scheduled for 4 years, but street-level access will not be impacted that long.
- We are investing millions in renovating the platform levels and hundreds of millions in new trains. It is irresponsible to not also address the deteriorating canopy and risk damage to these investments.
- Because this project is funded through a combination of sources, delaying it impacts MARTA’s ability to secure federal funding for current and future transit expansion projects.
Following protests and packed MARTA board meetings with angry riders, the transportation service said it's looking for ways to lessen the impact of its controversial renovation project at the Five Points MARTA station -- however, riders should plan on street access remaining closed for at least 18 months.
MARTA said it is sticking with plans to move bus stops around the station beginning July 6 and close access from the street starting July 29. It insists that the limited access to the station will not last the four-year duration of the project. Trains will keep running inside the station throughout the project.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is among the people calling for a delay in the project.
Customers and transit advocates have called for a delay in the project so that the authorities can re-evaluate the impact on customers.
MARTA’s Director of Facilities, Keli Davis, told 11Aive that engineers are actively looking for ways to open street access as soon as possible. In a follow-up email, a MARTA spokesperson tells us that the goal is to start work on demolition and deconstruction work, then re-evaluate street-level access after 18 months.
According to MARTA, the biggest issue is the removal of the heavy concrete canopy over the 45-year-old Five Points Station. Davis said dismantle the canopy safely, riders can’t be in the area.