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Call Downtown's Fifth Avenue the city's "Back to the Future" street.

New curbs have restored the street to the width it had before a 1970s reconstruction project, while new streetlights hark back even further, to the gaslight era of the 19th century.

It's the city's ongoing attempt, with funding from the state's Home Town Streets program, to breathe some life into a commercial corridor that's a shadow of its early 20th century heyday.

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In a shopping district which once boasted eight department stores --- including J.C. Penney and Sears --- and dozens of specialty shops, only a handful of retailers remain, including Natale Sporting Goods, a state liquor store and a CVS pharmacy.

Although a digital media company calling itself TruVu Entertainment recently took over the former Immel's Department Store, many other storefronts remain vacant or occupied by marginal businesses.

While few people are predicting a retail resurgence that would restore Fifth Avenue to the days when it was Allegheny County's second-largest shopping district, city officials seem unwilling to take the street's shabby appearance for granted.

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Restoring Fifth Avenue to two-way traffic between Market and Coursin streets is a necessary first step, City Administrator Dennis Pittman says.

In the 1970s, during one of several unsuccessful attempts to stave off competition from Monroeville Mall and other shopping centers, Fifth Avenue was cut to one-way traffic, and its sidewalks were widened, in an attempt to encourage pedestrian traffic.

But Pittman says potential businesses now tell city officials they're not interested in Fifth Avenue unless their customers can drive to their location from both directions, and unless they can park right in front.

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That's one reason the city is re-installing parking meters along Fifth Avenue. Council this month set the fee for parking on Fifth between Water and Huey streets at 25 cents for 30 minutes. Parking also will be limited to two hours.

City officials say the meters and the time limit will hopefully encourage turnover and make sure spaces stay free in front of stores.

Although the new meters have not yet been purchased, the poles are being installed, and the city has a vendor in mind, Mayor Jim Brewster says.

The new meters will be electronic and designed to "reset" to zero when a car leaves, he says, and will be paid for through the Downtown Business Authority.

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The existing meters, which were removed, were often malfunctioning or vandalized, and many were rusty or leaning sideways. Brewster says. "They were embarrassing," he says. "From Uncle Bub's (restaurant) to the (Shop 'n Save) there wasn't one of them straight."

But Brewster and others, including Council President Regis McLaughlin, have said the city needs to be more aggressive in collecting parking meter revenue and fines.

A draft financial report leaked this month to the Daily News by City Controller Ray Malinchak also identified parking revenue as a major source of potential income to close future budget deficits.

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As another attempt to encourage parking Downtown, the lot on "Cox's Corner" --- itself once the site of Downtown's largest department store --- will get a new entrance from Fifth Avenue.

Old trees, many of them dying or dead, have also been removed and will be replaced by decorative planters, says Bethany Budd Bauer, community development director.

State officials also have given the city permission to use Home Town Streets funding to purchase a new traffic light for the intersection of Fifth and Walnut, she says.

The $929,000 reconstruction project is expected to continue through the spring. General contractor is Carnegie-based Power Contracting Co.

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