Major Renovations Underway for 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 and patron access, the project is broken into almost 40 phases that are sequenced in a manner that minimizes impact to the station.
Project Overview
Carroll Daniel | Moody has begun construction at Five Points Station, working in an operational station with a scope of work including:
· Removing and replacing all existing brick pavers in the operational, three-story station with new porcelain tile pavers.
· Demolishing existing ceilings and installing new metal panel ceilings with decorative metal trim and relocating existing low voltage devices and signage in new ceilings – all completed in an operational station with minimal disruptions to train service.
· Cleaning and restoring existing the historic Eiseman Façade, the face of an old building located where Five Points station is now that was salvaged and then rebuilt inside the station.
· Installing new wall tile and metal wall panels.
· Painting the existing metal wall slats.
· Cleaning and sealing existing granite wall panels.
· Demolishing and replacing acoustical sound panels in the track wells.
· Replacing all existing lighting with new LED fixtures.
· Installing four new high-volume fans.
· Demolishing existing seating benches and trash receptacles and replacing with new ones.
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 lowest 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 two 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, built in 1901, 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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