Atlanta Mayor Calls for Extended Timeline for Five Points Transit Station Repairs

Board members also expressed skepticism that delaying the Five Points project is the right solution.

“If we suspend this contract, it’s going to cost somebody a lot of money,” board member Bill Floyd said.

Michael Smith, Dickens’ press secretary, released a statement saying the mayor is “working to build a city of healthy neighborhoods where people can easily access jobs, schools, food, recreation and other necessities.”

“Time is money, which is why MARTA should consider suspending its current plan, which moves no one, anywhere, any faster, and promptly conduct a thorough evaluation of the alternative proposal that addresses station maintenance concerns, minimizes impacts to riders (especially those with physical or mobility issues), saves money, and properly allocates those funds to projects that move people from point A to point B,” Smith said.

No members of the Atlanta board attended Thursday’s meeting, leaving the body without a quorum.

The Five Points redevelopment has been politically divisive since MARTA unveiled its plans last year. The agency wants to remove the leaky concrete roof over the station and replace it with a translucent one.

The station also plans to build bus stops at street level and create more green space around the station. MARTA officials say the work isn’t just cosmetic: The leaky roof is a safety hazard for passengers and a maintenance challenge that has defied temporary solutions.

Most of the money will come from a half-penny transit sales tax that Atlanta voters approved in 2016. MARTA also received a $25 million federal grant and a $13.8 million state grant for the project.

The project sparked a strong reaction from some political and business leaders. But MARTA thought it had Dickens’ blessing to move forward.

Things have changed since MARTA announced in May that it planned to close pedestrian and bus access to Five Points during the construction. Train passengers would still be able to transfer trains, but the street closure would force others to get on and off trains at other stations nearby.

The project sparked further backlash, and Dickens himself eventually asked MARTA to delay the project. After initially resisting, MARTA recently announced it was suspending construction.

Credits: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC

Credits: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC