FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
December 5,
2023
MARTA ADVANCES FIVE POINTS
STATION TRANSFORMATION PROJECT
ATLANTA
– The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is advancing the
Five Points Station Transformation Project to the public review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Five Points Station is the largest and busiest rail station in the
MARTA system, and the connecting point for all four rail lines, the North/South
(Red and Gold) and East/West Lines (Green and Blue), and nine bus
routes. As part of the More MARTA Atlanta Program, MARTA and its partners
at the City of Atlanta are pursuing a transformation of the Five Points
plaza to create a compelling civic space for MARTA customers and the
surrounding Downtown community.
In March, MARTA presented its board of directors the recommended
9A design concept for the transformation, which includes deconstructing the
existing concrete canopy and replacing it with a new canopy that allows for
ample light and ventilation.
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined in April
that the station is of significant historical importance since it is part of
the largest public works project in Atlanta history, the construction of the
MARTA system. Read the SHPO letter to the FTA here. As a result,
the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) determined the NEPA class of action to
be an Environmental Assessment (EA), and MARTA conducted multiple studies over
the next several months centered around the project’s impact on the built
environment, specifically the concrete canopy.
The MARTA
design team worked to refine concept 9A to address some of the City of
Atlanta’s concerns about project cost, which received City concurrence in July.
The SHPO
determined that the project would have an adverse effect on the historic
resource, Five Points Station, requiring mitigation. Read the SHPO letter here. The proposed
mitigation measures, which are detailed in the Environmental Assessment, found here, include
architectural documentation (in the form of HABS Level 2 photography, written
historical descriptive data, and digital reproductions of existing drawings),
and interpretive panels memorializing the concourse and plaza levels.
The
project will now undergo a month of public review of the Environmental
Assessment before the FTA will go through the final approval steps, which are
expected to be a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) under NEPA. Upon that final determination,
MARTA will begin preparing Five Points Station for the construction work.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
(SOM) will lead the design of the canopy deconstruction and removal and Skanska
Building USA is the Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) contractor that will
oversee the project. While construction will likely not be complete for the
World Cup in 2026, MARTA will ensure the rail station is ready to host soccer
fans from around the world.
In addition to canopy removal and replacement, the station
transformation will reconnect Broad Street to pedestrian traffic, and
incorporate community activities, public art, agriculture, gathering places and
other customer amenities.
The Five Points
Station Transformation Project will cost approximately $206 million and is
funded through the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax, with $13.8 million
from the state of Georgia, and a $25 million Federal RAISE Grant.
To review
the environmental assessment, click here.
You may also review the materials in person at the following locations until
Jan. 5, 2024.
Fulton County Library
One Margaret Mitchell
Square
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
Five Points Station Ride
Store
30 Alabama St. SW
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
MARTA headquarters
2424 Piedmont Road NE
Atlanta, Ga. 30324
Submit your
comments here:
Attn. Tracie
Roberson
2424 Piedmont Road NE
Atlanta, Ga.
30324-3311