The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has been awarded a $25 million grant through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program to help transform the exterior of Five Points rail station in downtown Atlanta.
The Five Points Transformation Project includes structural upgrades that will improve connectivity, boost safety, and enhance the quality of life for downtown residents and Atlanta’s ten million annual visitors. Additionally, the modernization will accelerate $10 billion in private investment and serve as a catalyst for attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in potential transit-oriented development in an area that has suffered from under-investment.
The approximately $200 million project is primarily funded through the More MARTA Atlanta sales tax, with an additional commitment from the State through the Georgia Transit Trust Fund and the $25 million RAISE grant made possible by the continued support of our Federal Delegation, namely Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, Senator Jon Ossoff, and Congresswoman Nikema Williams.
MARTA is working closely with the City of Atlanta on final design concepts with a shared goal of deconstructing and removing the canopy in the center of the station, establishing a centralized bus hub, and including a public or green space, creating a safe, inviting, and active rail station that increases accessibility to jobs and opportunities and contributes to the long-term economic development of the city, state and region.
The Five Points Transformation Project will have a direct impact for those customers currently using MARTA and make transit a more attractive choice for those who live nearby. MARTA has selected Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to lead the design of the canopy deconstruction and removal and Skanska Building USA as the Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) contractor to oversee the project. Deconstruction will begin in 2024 with a project completion goal of 2028.