Latest news with #MoreMARTAAtlanta
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MARTA resuming Five Points Station transformation project next month
MARTA is resuming the transformation project at Five Points Station. It's set to start on May 17. That means Alabama Street, Broad Street Plaza, and Peachtree Street Station entrances will be impacted. Street-level station, elevator, and bus access will move to Forsyth Street. Rail service and transfers will not be impacted and will operate as scheduled. The project will improve transit connectivity, bring increased safety, and offer enhanced customer amenities. The first phase of the project includes the destruction and removal of the concrete canopy. Future phases include building a new canopy, improving the centralized bus hub and pedestrian connection to Broad Street, and adding community spaces, public art, and agriculture. The budget for the project is approximately $230 million, funded mainly through the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax, with $13.8 million of the funding coming from the State of Georgia, $25 million coming from the Federal RAISE Grant, and remaining support from the MARTA core penny. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Bus service impacts beginning May 17: The following routes will stop at Five Points on Forsyth Street: 3 – Martin Luther King Jr. Drive/Auburn Avenue 40 – Peachtree Street/Downtown 813 – Atlanta University Center 21 – Memorial Drive 49 – McDonough Boulevard 55 – Jonesboro Road 107 – Glenwood 186 – Rainbow Road Drive/South DeKalb Three bus routes will be detoured to maintain service to Downtown and no longer stop at Five Points: 26 – Marietta Street/Perry Boulevard 42 – Pryor Road 816 – North Highland Avenue The following routes will terminate at Georgia State Station: 21 – Memorial Drive 42 – Pryor Road 49 – McDonough Boulevard 55 – Jonesboro Road 107 – Glenwood 186 – Rainbow Road Drive/South DeKalb The following routes will terminate at King Memorial Station: 26 – Marietta Street/Perry Boulevard 813 – Atlanta University Center 899 – Old Fourth Ward The following route will terminate at Civic Center Station: 816 – North Highland Avenue Bus routes operated by regional transit partners CobbLinc, Ride Gwinnett, and Xpress will run as scheduled. CUSTOMER SERVICES IMPACT BEGINNING JUNE 6, 2025. The following offices will temporarily re-locate (location details to be shared soon): MARTA Police precinct RideStore Lost & Found Reduced Fare MARTA HOPE The following amenities will temporarily close: Restrooms - Nearby restroom access: GWCC/CNN Center (Westbound): 'SMART' restrooms with remote access Peachtree Center (Northbound): Restrooms on north concourse level Georgia State (Eastbound): Restrooms on lower concourse level West End (Southbound): Restrooms on lower concourse level StationSoccer field Community garden MARTA Market Information booth Tunnel to federal building [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MARTA resumes $230M Five Points Station overhaul: What this means to riders
The Brief Construction on Five Points Station resumes on May 17, focusing on transforming it into a "vibrant city center" with improved connectivity, safety, and amenities. Major downtown bus route detours will occur, with several MARTA routes rerouted or terminating at different stations to accommodate construction. The project is funded by the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax, $13.8 million from Georgia, and a $25 million federal RAISE Grant. ATLANTA - The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority will resume construction on its $230 million transformation of Five Points Station on May 17. This will trigger major downtown bus route detours. PREVIOUS: MARTA to move forward with Five Points project after reaching agreement with city What we know The long-anticipated overhaul, paused last summer for further planning, begins with the deconstruction and removal of the station's concrete canopy. The project aims to turn Atlanta's busiest transit hub into a "vibrant city center" with upgraded connectivity, enhanced safety, and new customer amenities. What They're Saying "During deconstruction, street-level station and elevator access, as well as bus access, will be maintained on Forsyth Street," MARTA said in a statement. "Rail service and transfers are not impacted and will operate as scheduled." What you can do Starting May 17, several MARTA routes will be rerouted or will terminate at different stations to accommodate construction activity: Routes stopping at Five Points on Forsyth Street: 3 – Martin Luther King Jr. Drive/Auburn Avenue 40 – Peachtree Street/Downtown 813 – Atlanta University Center 21 – Memorial Drive 49 – McDonough Boulevard 55 – Jonesboro Road 107 – Glenwood 186 – Rainbow Road Drive/South DeKalb Routes detoured from Five Points: 26 – Marietta Street/Perry Boulevard 42 – Pryor Road 816 – North Highland Avenue New Termination Points: Georgia State Station:21, 42, 49, 55, 107, 186 King Memorial Station:26, 813, 899 – Old Fourth Ward Civic Center Station:816 Bus routes operated by regional partners CobbLinc, Ride Gwinnett, and Xpress will continue to run on their normal schedules. Details on rail station entrance closures (Alabama Street, Broad Street Plaza, and Peachtree Street) and office relocations will be shared when finalized. Dig deeper Beyond the canopy demolition, future phases of the Five Points project include construction of a new canopy, improvements to the centralized bus hub, a pedestrian corridor to Broad Street, and the addition of community spaces, public art, and even urban agriculture. The project is funded primarily through the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax, along with $13.8 million from the state of Georgia and a $25 million federal RAISE Grant. SEE ALSO: MARTA board chairwoman questions agency's leadership after audits Does MARTA owe Atlanta $70M? New report claims 2024 audit is wrong Fewer Atlantans are taking the train, but MARTA says numbers are off State of MARTA 2025: New train car unveiled as transit leaders look towards future MARTA launches new merch store for transit fans The Source The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority provided the details for this article.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Georgia lawmakers question Atlanta audit of MARTA's $85 million debt
Georgia lawmakers are questioning the accuracy of an audit of MARTA that led to allegations of overcharging the City of Atlanta tens of millions of dollars. The latest look at the More MARTA Atlanta audit by state lawmakers presented a drastically lower debt than what City of Atlanta officials claimed was due. In August 2024, the City of Atlanta accused MARTA of overcharging them for the More MARTA program to the tune of about $70 million. The accusations followed an audit performed by Mauldin & Jenkins at the request of the Atlanta Mayor's Office. That assessment found that over the five years of the More MARTA Atlanta program, bus services had been enhanced at a 'significantly lower' level than what was budgeted, while the transport agency continued to transfer funds from the city reserve to pay for capital programs. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] MARTA strongly disagreed, saying that they had transferred leftover funds back to the City of Atlanta when they were there, and that the audit by Mauldin & Jenkins was flawed. Now, a joint committee of Georgia state lawmakers from both the Senate and House of Representatives are questioning the Atlanta audit and saying that a new assessment of the program and the impacts of service changes during the COVID-19 pandemic had presented a 'more realistic and equitable approach' to the transit system and its debts in Atlanta. 'As we review the findings of KPMG, it's evident that the threshold methodology, while initially suitable, did not adequately account for service changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and led to misleading conclusions,' state Rep. Deborah Silcox said in a statement. RELATED STORIES: Atlanta officials push back on MARTA claims of flawed audit, Rep. Silcox asks more details Atlanta accuses MARTA of overcharging $70 million over 5 years. Agency says audit 'flawed' Atlanta city leaders demanding complete financial audit of More MARTA Silcox chairs the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee. 'The proportional methodology offers a more realistic and equitable approach by considering the shared nature of our transit system and spreading costs across all routes,' she added. As far as a more realistic calculation, the new assessment by KPMG 'was determined to provide a more accurate cost allocation.' So far, MARTA has paid Atlanta about $20 million from the debt highlighted by the city. Silcox's statement also said 'under the threshold method, approximately $82 million was calculated as owed by MARTA to the City of Atlanta, while the proportional method suggested this amount was instead approximately $865,000.' In a statement to Channel 2 Action News, a MARTA spokesperson said 'KPMG's independent audit of the More MARTA Atlanta Program, which found that among other things MARTA's enhanced bus service calculations from 2017 to 2019 were correct, disproving the City of Atlanta and Mauldin & Jenkins' previous erroneous calculations.' Referring to two back-and-forths between the City of Atlanta and MARTA, the transit agency said that with the findings of the MARTOC assessment, and an accusation that Atlanta officials had ignored their responses during the Mauldin & Jenkins audit, MARTA urged faster approval of permits for new construction projects. In particular, MARTA said they want to take this opportunity to urge Atlanta officials to 'expedite the approval of permits for the Five Points Station Transformation Project so that we can begin deconstruction. Because of the delays, it is already behind schedule, and it is critical that we begin work to deliver this transformational project for our riders, our system, and the downtown area.' MARTA's spokesperson said they hope to work with the City of Atlanta to deliver a safe, clean and reliable experience for their customers. Responding to a request by Channel 2 Action News, Atlanta officials said they were reviewing the new information. 'We received the document, and it is currently under review by our Finance team. We will provide further details once the review is complete. We stand by our initial audit and look forward to working with MARTA on the remaining $60 million dollars owed to Atlanta taxpayers,' a spokesman for the city said. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
