A MULTI million-pound scheme to relieve traffic trouble in Southampton is close to being completed.

Southampton City Council bosses say the £12.3m Platform for Prosperity project, which will see Platform Road converted into a dual carriageway linking Eastern Docks with West Quay Road at the De Vere roundabout, will ease congestion.

The last of the major roadworks is set to be completed by the end of November.

It is currently in the final stages, which will see work done at the junction of the High Street and Town Quay.

There will also be a new traffic system on Platform Road coming into effect on Tuesday November 11.

However, the scheme has proved unpopular with motorists who have been stuck in jams for hours.

As reported in the Daily Echo in January, motorists were left stranded when traffic ground to a halt in West Quay Road, and the work on Platform Road was listed as one of the main causes of the monster tailbacks.

It is hoped the completion of the scheme will help put an end to traffic chaos in the city when more than three cruise ships are in dock.

A council spokesman said: “We are working hard to ensure that any potential for disruption during the busy Christmas shopping period is kept to a minimum.”