PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee on Wednesday announced that embattled R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. has resigned and will retire Feb. 27.
The administration said it plans a nationwide search for a permanent replacement.
In the meantime, Robert Rocchio, RIDOT’s chief engineer for infrastructure, will serve as interim director.
In his resignation letter to McKee, Alviti said he and his wife, Kathy, had been "discussing and planning my retirement from RIDOT for quite some time," but added "it [was] not my nature to leave behind a problem unsolved" he said, referring to the 2023 Washington Bridge shutdown and ongoing replacement.
"Events surrounding the necessary closure of the Washington Bridge provided me with the resolve to stay on until the Washington Bridge was well on a path to successful completion," Alviti wrote. "With those milestones achieved, the project is firmly on track for successful completion on time and on budget."
McKee, who has long defended Alviti, did not say whether he asked for his resignation as his own gubernatorial reelection campaign ramps up.
Instead, he praised Alviti’s long tenure, noting that “we recognize Director Alviti’s many years of state service across two administrations and wish him well.”
Alviti has led RIDOT since 2015 and will have served more than 11 years in the role before his announced retirement in 2026.
Appointed by then‑Gov. Gina Raimondo and confirmed by the state Senate, Alviti remained in the role through multiple administrations.
On Wednesday, McKee signaled confidence in Rocchio to steer RIDOT amid the news of Alviti's announced resignation.
“As the Washington Bridge project moves from demolition into the rebuild phase, I am confident that Bob Rocchio will provide the steady leadership and engineering expertise we need – not only for this crucial project, but for the many infrastructure improvements that are underway across our state,” McKee said.
Alviti’s resignation came the day after House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi announced he would not make a run for governor, leaving McKee and Helena Buonanno Foulkes as the leading candidates in the Democratic primary.
McKee's campaign got another boost on Tuesday from a Morning Consult poll showing his approval rating climbing to 49%, a significant improvement from his last-in-the-nation rating in the previous quarter.
Foulkes on Wednesday reiterated her previous criticism of McKee's handling of the Washington Bridge crisis, suggesting Alviti's departure was actually in response to her recently released plan to reform the embattled agency.
“Director Alviti’s resignation comes two years too late,” said Foulkes. "It is obvious that Gov. McKee only made this decision because of mounting political pressure."
"The governor is hoping that playing musical chairs during election season will hide the fact that he has failed the people of Rhode Island,” she continued. “It isn’t going to work.”
Wendy Schiller, a professor of political science at Brown University, said conventional wisdom to date has been that McKee was steering clear of any perceived antagonism of the labor unions that are loyal to Alviti.
And with McKee’s main primary opponent having already vowed to fire Alviti if given the chance, combined with his improvement in the polls, the stage was set, said Schiller.
“It is certainly not a coincidence,” she said of the timing. “Without Shekarchi in the race to compete for their support, [McKee] felt he could do it now.”
Aside from the political machinations, Schiller believes Alviti’s exit could have another consequence.
“Rhode Islanders may never get the full story about why the Washington Bridge was left unrepaired under his tenure,” she said.
(ADDS last five paragraphs with comment from Schiller.)
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC. PBN Staff Writer Christopher Allen, Allen@PBN.com, contributed to this report.
