MARTA has paused implementation of eight downtown bus route relocations and street-level closures that had been scheduled for late July as part of its $230 million Five Points Transformation Project, following ongoing talks with Mayor Andre Dickens' office.
The pause comes after weeks of public opposition, including a rally near the station and criticism from Atlanta City Council members and downtown business groups who argued the closures would harm the roughly 17,000 daily pedestrians and bus riders who rely on Five Points. MARTA is now exploring installing a temporary elevator at the station to accommodate riders with disabilities during construction, and studying whether at least one street-level entrance can remain open after the initial 18-month demolition and canopy-removal phase, rather than closing all access as originally planned.
MARTA's stated goal for the 1970s transit hub remains a more open, centralized city center with smoother connections between trains and buses, and the agency has said the full renovation is still expected to take about four years. Mayor Dickens has asked MARTA to keep the station open until an ongoing agency audit is complete.
Original reporting by Josh Green for Urbanize Atlanta, published July 2024.