We always knew a project of that scale would take ages - how could it not? We were even faintly dubious at repeated affirmations on the part of Transport Canberra that the project would be finished by the end of 2018.

It is clearly not finished, and Northbourne Avenue looks set to be in disarray for some time yet. Testing of trams has begun on the final section of the route, but it’s not clear how long this will continue. Transport Canberra director-general Duncan Edghill has said that early April was unlikely, later in the month was a possibility but he would not “put the house on it”.

The subtext, of course, is the light rail will take as long as it takes, especially if safety testing is involved. And for the most part, Canberrans are a patient lot, living as we do in a growing city that is in many ways in a state of flux.

But when so many other disruptions are taking place across the city in the form of building and road works, we are also entitled to some certainty when it comes to the ones that force us to plan ahead, change our routes, grit our teeth and bear it.

And it’s not just the tram that’s being delayed but also, potentially, the government’s plans to have a new bus network operating from early April, throwing school commute plans, and the long-term public transport schedule, into disarray.

It’s not that hard to imagine a time when all of this will be over, and the tram will be a fixture on Canberra’s roads. But as it stands, getting in and out of Gungahlin is a daily hassle, and the Majura Parkway - that other major infrastructure work that was much-anticipated and, once finished, much admired - is a depressing, bumper-to-bumper jam each weekday from about 4.30pm onwards.

Horse Park Drive is being duplicated, and there’s no point in asking why, exactly, this work is being carried out at the same time as Flemington Road - the other main artery in and out of Gungahlin - is also in a state of tram-induced disarray.

It’s simply the state of Canberra and we must grin and bear it, as we do every day. But in return, we should be given some certainty for when the light rail starts running.

It may seem facile, naive, or simply too big an ask. But such a date would surely benefit everyone, both residents (and future tram users) and those involved in getting the thing up and running.

As it stands, with each renewed vague reassurance that the tram will be running “some time in the first half of this year”, that drive down Northbourne Avenue, along Horse Park Drive or up the Majura Parkway just gets more frustrating for Canberra motorists.