A coalition of organizations and advocates demanded a stop to the upcoming MARTA Five Points Station construction project at a June 25 press conference and rally in front of the heavily trafficked transit hub.
“This is a moment that we need better transit, and plowing ahead with this ill conceived plan is the wrong direction,” Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman said.
The proposed four-year renovation of the Five Points Station in downtown Atlanta has drawn ire from a host of officials and residents since MARTA announced the central hub will be closed to pedestrians and bus traffic for 18 months.
Starting July 29, the station will shutter for a $230 million renovation project that aims to address the years of water damage and lack of maintenance in the central station, including a new canopy and public square that will take four years to complete.
But local officials and advocates don’t want to let it happen. So far, a coalition of organizations, several city council members and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens have all called on MARTA to pause the project for different reasons.
Dickens has asked the transit agency stop the project until an audit of the More MARTA taxs, which is funding the project in part, is complete. City Council member Doug Shipman said the city had “fundamental questions” about the program and was not informed about the comprehensive construction plan until a few weeks ago.
Others, including transportation advocacy group Propel ATL, cite accessibility problems and community harm. Executive Director Rebecca Serna said the closure would disrupt the 17,000 daily visitors to the station, particularly those who rely on public transit to get around.
“It’s easy to say something is an inconvenience when you don’t rely on it,” Serna said.
Serna said not everyone has the luxury of adding twenty minutes to their trip due to rerouting. Mobility advocate Carden Wyckoff also took issue with the plan itself, which does not include a center platform elevator for accessible entry.
The coalition laid out three main demands that come with the pause: maintain pedestrian access for the duration of the project, maintain a bus route and create a plan for people who rely on a center platform elevator.
But MARTA shows no signs of stopping the plan. On the same day as the press conference, the transit agency tweeted a statement from MARTA Board Chair Katie Powers.
“We are full steam ahead to revitalize Five Points and deliver an enhanced experience for our raiders with as limited disruption as possible,” Powers said in the statement.
The agency has repeatedly said the station will be reopened for Atlanta to host the World Cup’s eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium from June 11 to July 29, 2026.
Georgia Stand Up Chief Executive Officer Deborah Scott said that the agency is focused on opening for the World Cup but not having it open for the people, particularly Black and brown residents and disabled people.
“We’re asking you to pause to get it right.” Scott said. “We need you to pause to get it right because this is what community looks like.”
City Council Member and longtime transit user Jason Dozier emphasized that even though MARTA plans to have the station reopened for the World Cup the people of Atlanta still need to be the priority.
“We have to make sure that investments we make in the city are centered around making Atlanta whole, making sure everyday lives can not just survive but thrive,” Dozier said.
He urged MARTA to focus on the “fundamentals” of how to build a city so people don’t get pushed out by rising housing and transportation costs spurred by development for “shiny objects” like the World Cup.
With the construction start date inching closer, MARTA has seemingly no intentions to push back the project. Coalition representatives said they have met with agency leaders, but no concrete promises have been made.
If the shutdown does continue as planned, though, the opposition has made their next steps clear.
“If we have to have protests here every day, we will,” Georgia Stand Up’s Scott said.
I hope they rethink this plan. I a frequent transit user.
It really sucks, doesn’t it?
Because “plowing ahead with this ill conceived plan is the wrong direction” is exactly what Doug and Hizzoner (and the Atlanta Police Foundation) have done by ramrodding the Public Safety Training Center in spite of massive public dissent.
Another reason to pause the ill-conceived Five Points transformation plan is because raiding the City of Atlanta’s More MARTA expansion funds of close to $200 million is not the right way fund it. The 15th Amendment to the MARTA Contract adopted in 2020 puts station refurbishments like Five Points on the list of projects to be funded from the original one penny systemwide sales tax, but something went slippery on that. Easy for MARTA Board members from other jurisdictions to be “full steam ahead” when only Atlanta’s half cent expansion funds are on the hook.