acoma Mall retailers are applauding transportation planners for improving traffic flow and nearby highway access – and the swift completing of the project to beat the holiday rush and help boost sales during a recession.

The closely coordinated project to replace the heavily used 38th Street bridge and Interstate 5 interchange was completed on time and under budget in October.

For the fourth quarter of 2001, the Tacoma Mall finished in the top ten for foot traffic among the nearly 200 Simon Properties sites, behind such mega-complexes like the Mall of America.

Moreover, widened surface streets and improved circulation eliminated incidences of gridlock for the first time in years, said Tacoma Mall General Manager Jerry Alder.

The JC Penny location recorded a gain for November and December over 2000, beating analysts’ forecasts, said Store Manager Stan Cook.

He estimated the 38th Street improvements affected store sales by at least 3 percent.