UPDATE: MARTA says it won’t pause renovation of Five Points station

MARTA said it will continue as planned with a $230 million overhaul of the Five Points station despite Mayor Andre Dickens’ request to hold off the renovation until an audit is completed.

Axios reports that Dickens sent a letter on June 6 to MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood requesting additional information after reading preliminary findings from an ongoing audit of More MARTA, the sales tax funding Five Points’ transformation and other future projects of the public transport agency.

Dickens wrote that he wanted to suspend the project “until we receive the final report and engage in further discussions together to determine the best possible path forward for MARTA and the City of Atlanta.

Dickens said calculation errors discovered during the audit could force MARTA to repay $10 million for its expansion program for 202 and $59.9 million for 2017-2021, and possibly more. The full audit is expected in July.

Greenwood responded to Dickens in a letter obtained Monday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the renovation would continue.

“We have worked on all necessary agreements with our partners at the Federal Transit Administration/USDOT and have signed contractual obligations with several contractors,” Greenwood wrote. “Successful execution of any public construction project requires thoughtful planning from the outset, strong public engagement throughout the process, and the courage to advance the project to completion. »

A spokesperson for Dickens did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the AJC.

MARTA’s plan to renovate Five Points has drawn derision from riders and city officials who have decried plans to close the Central Station during 2026 World Cup games.

MARTA said the station redesign would result in “major service impacts” for riders, including closing the station to pedestrians and relocating bus routes.