Five Points' extreme makeover
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One of more than a dozen concepts MARTA is considering to replace the Five Points station. Rendering: Courtesy of MARTA
MARTA's Five Points station will shake off its hulking canopy — the one with the sign that seemingly hasn't worked for years — as part of a $200 million facelift.
Why it matters: After over 40 years, the Downtown hub — the only station where all rail lines converge — needs an update to serve riders and take advantage of a wave of development interest washing over the neighborhood.
Driving the news: Yesterday, MARTA received a $25 million boost from the federal government to fund the station’s makeover.
Details: MARTA's hired architectural firm SOM to draw up potential designs.
- The same firm is behind the Moynihan Train Hall at New York's Penn Station.
- All potential designs call for removing the Brutalist canopy. The mini-soccer pitch and community gardens, however, will remain a part of Five Points' next chapter.
Meanwhile, work will start on a $40 million upgrade of the platforms, escalators and lighting inside the station next month.
By the numbers: Most of the cash to build the project comes from the More MARTA sales tax, a yet-to-be-determined amount from state's Georgia Transit Trust Fund and the federal grant secured by Rep. Nikema Williams and Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
The big picture: More than $6 billion in public and private cash will flood the area around Five Points over the next five years.
- MARTA officials want the footprint of the revived Five Points station to include space for future buildings and other developments.
- Plans under review by the transit agency and city officials call for reconnecting Broad Street for pedestrians but not for cars and other personal vehicles, a MARTA spokesperson tells Axios.
Intrigue: When Five Points was built in the mid-1970s, construction blasted a hole in Downtown and divided Broad Street.
- When the demolition dust clears, MARTA has an opportunity to create a better place for riders, pedestrians and bicyclists and the community.
What's next: Construction work will begin in 2024, transit officials say, and won’t interrupt bus and rail service.
- They hope to wrap up in 2028 — which means the 2026 World Cup matches in Atlanta will be exciting.
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to remove a reference to a state funding amount for the project. MARTA says the amount has not been finalized.