After a year of dueling audits, canopy disputes, alleged permit holdups, revised construction plans and an opposition rally, MARTA has put a date on the restart of its Five Points transformation: May 17.
The $230 million project will convert the concrete-heavy, bunker-like 1970s facility into a more open and accessible hub. Its first phase, deconstruction of the station's concrete canopy, was paused last summer to allow what MARTA describes as additional planning to ensure continued station access.
What happens first
Work resumes with the detour of numerous downtown bus routes. After that come closures of station entrances at Alabama Street, Broad Street Plaza and Peachtree Street, plus the relocation of station offices. MARTA says those closure dates will be announced once finalized.
Street-level station access and elevator access will remain open on Forsyth Street throughout, as will bus access on Forsyth.
What keeps running
Rail service and transfers at Five Points will operate on schedule and are not expected to be affected. Neither are bus routes around Five Points run by regional providers CobbLinc, Ride Gwinnett and Xpress.
For a station that functions as the junction of MARTA's entire rail network, keeping trains and transfers unaffected through a multi-year rebuild is the constraint that shapes everything else about the construction sequence.
What comes after the canopy
Future phases include erecting a new canopy, improving the bus hub, and building a pedestrian connection to Broad Street. Other elements call for new community spaces, public art and agricultural components.
MARTA describes the end goal as turning Five Points into a vibrant city center with better transit connectivity, improved safety and stronger customer amenities.
The restart date matters beyond the station itself. Five Points sits at the center of a district preparing to host World Cup matches in June 2026, and the schedule now has to thread a major construction program through the busiest month downtown has seen in decades.
Original reporting by Josh Green for Urbanize Atlanta, published April 2025.