What began in 2016 is now turning into a nine-year project. The Texas Department of Transportation, for better or worse, has got some big-time explaining to do.

Corpus Christi, once upon a time, was watching the construction of a brand-new Harbor Bridge over its port district. It was going to be gleaming, high, and cable-stayed. It was going to carry cars and pedestrians higher than its current bridge. And it still can, but officials are encountering...