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"Enormously frustrating": U.S. Sen. John Cornyn weighs in on new Harbor Bridge Project

Senator John Cornyn said that the safety of the public is paramount, and that concerns regarding the bridge should be addressed swiftly.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Another leader weighing in on the new Harbor Bridge Project is Senator John Cornyn. 

He was in Corpus Christi Wednesday to meet with energy leaders at the Port of Corpus Christi as part of an effort to push for passage of a bipartisan bill that would subsidize clean hydrogen. While there, he shared some of his thoughts on the bridge project in a one-on-one interview with 3NEWS' Anchor Mike Gillaspia.

"Well I remember being here for the ribbon cutting when this project was kicked off more years then I can remember," Cornyn said. "But it's disappointing to be here and actually see the incomplete bridge and the defaults of some of the program managers to have been responsible for building the bridge."

Cornyn added that the safety of the public is paramount, and that concerns regarding the bridge should be addressed swiftly.

"The one thing that I think is non-negotiable is safety," Cornyn said. "If this is because of safety concerns, as frustrating and disappointing as it is, I'm for safety first."

The Texas Department of Transportation said Tuesday the developer of the new Harbor Bridge has defaulted on its contract and has 15 days to fix design flaws with the bridge or TxDOT will fire them.

This comes a little more than a month after TxDOT halted all work on the new Harbor Bridge and later said the bridge was at risk of "collapse," should work continue.

Cornyn said that while the situation is demanding, he believes TxDOT will see the project through to the finish line. 

RELATED: TxDOT: Harbor Bridge developer did not take steps to fix flaws

"Well its a mystery to me why you have these internationally known design firms incapable of building the bridge safely. I do have confidence in TxDOT and I continue to encourage them to keep safety as the number one consideration, but yes this is enormously frustrating." 

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