DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- About $3.3 million in road projects are aimed at helping one of southwest Ohio's oldest malls keep up.

The state and local upgrade projects southeast of the Dayton Mall interchange at Interstate 75 will make road, sign and signal changes this summer expected to improve safety and access for the four-decade-old mall. Sidewalks and other upgrades also will help pedestrians get around.

Miami Township Trustee Mike Nolan tells the Dayton Daily News ( http://bit.ly/LrVZje ) that the region can't forget about the Dayton Mall as an important economic driver. Occupancy of the 1.4-million-square-foot mall is at 96 percent.

A new $150 million mixed-use development just to the south on I-75 called Austin Landing will add competition, but Nolan says local officials don't want to see everything move to Austin Road.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com