Major Renovations to MARTA’s Five Points Station, Where All Transit Lines Intersect
MARTA, the principal public transport operator in Atlanta, Georgia, has partnered with Carroll Daniel | Moody to complete major renovations to Five Points Station. Five Points is at the heart of downtown Atlanta and the transfer point between all rail lines.
Working in an Operational Transit Station
Since Five Points Station is open and operational during construction, our project team must have ongoing coordination and communication with the operations team to ensure the safety of the project teams, subcontractors, MARTA employees and passengers. In addition to safety, patron access to the station throughout construction is a priority. Any work that will change patron access to areas in the station must be coordinated and approved by MARTA in advance. Alternate routing via signage and barricades must be provided to guide patrons safely around the work and to their destination. To prioritize safety & patron access, the project is broken into almost 40 phases that are sequenced in a manner that minimizes impact to the station.
Project Overview
Working within an operational transit station, Carroll Daniel | Moody’s scope of work at Five Points Station includes:
· Replacing existing brick pavers with new porcelain tile pavers throughout the three-story station.
· Replacing seating benches and trash receptacles.
· Installing new metal panel ceilings with decorative trim, including relocation of low-voltage devices and signage.
· Restoring the historic Eiseman Façade within the station.
· Installing new wall tile and metal wall panels.
· Painting metal wall slats and cleaning and sealing granite wall panels.
· Replacing acoustical sound panels in the track wells.
· Upgrading all lighting to new LED fixtures.
· Installing four high-volume fans.
Project Planning
With work occurring above or adjacent to the tracks, track closures are sometimes necessary. In order to close one track for work, MARTA must operate trains in both directions through the station on a single track as to minimize disruptions to passengers. These “single-track events” must be coordinated with rail control six months in advance and planned around normal maintenance activities and projects at other stations. During single tracking, our work must be performed around the clock – typically taking between 26 and 54 hours over a weekend.
Accessing and Bringing Materials to the Sites
The Five Points Station has four levels, with our team working on the first two levels for this project. The only access from the streetside is via passenger elevators, stairs, and escalators; for bulk and heavy materials and equipment, these must be brought in on the tracks via a MARTA locomotive or Hi-Rail vehicle. To mitigate this obstacle, our project team has invested in a truck fit with equipment that allows it to operate on the rails – easing the material delivery process.
Restoring History
The Carroll Daniel | Moody project team coordinated the installation of a scaffolding structure that will span both tracks on the North/South platform and extend vertically to three levels of the station. The top of this structure will hold a platform that will serve as a containment area. At the two levels below, the scaffolding will be used to restore the historic Eiseman Façade found inside the station. The Eiseman Façade is the face of an old building that was located where Five Points station is now. This façade was salvaged and then rebuilt inside the station and will be cleaned and repaired in this project to restore it to its original condition.
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