Gov. Dan McKee announced Wednesday he’s accepted the resignation of embattled Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti, who will retire Feb. 27 after nearly a decade steering the state’s highways, bridges — and controversies.
Alviti, who took the wheel at RIDOT in 2015, became a political lightning rod following the high-profile failure and shutdown of the westbound Washington Bridge, a fiasco that snarled traffic, rattled commuters and triggered heated hearings at the State House.
Now, as the bridge project shifts from teardown to rebuild, McKee is turning to an in-house engineer to steady the ship. Robert Rocchio, RIDOT’s chief engineer for infrastructure, will step in as interim director while the administration launches a nationwide search for a permanent replacement.
McKee praised Rocchio’s technical chops, saying he’ll provide “steady leadership” during a critical phase for the bridge and other major infrastructure work statewide. The governor also thanked Alviti for years of public service across two administrations.
But Alviti’s exit comes after months of political heat. Critics blasted his handling of the bridge crisis and his testimony at oversight hearings, where responsibility for the failure was fiercely debated. Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Helena Foulkes had repeatedly vowed to remove Alviti if elected, making him a campaign flashpoint.
A former union leader and Cranston public works chief, Alviti previously helped lead a sweeping DOT overhaul under former Gov. Gina Raimondo. His tenure saw an aggressive bridge-repair push — capped by one of the state’s most visible infrastructure breakdowns.
Now, Rhode Island’s road to recovery will have a new driver.
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