Should Have Been Fired Years Ago: Why Peter Alviti’s “Retirement” Isn’t Real Accountability

Rhode Islanders finally got rid of RIDOT’s top insider—but after the Washington Bridge fiasco and years of failure, voters may decide Dan McKee is the next one who needs to go in 2026.

Peter Alviti Jr. isn’t just “wrapping up a decade of service.” He’s walking away from a record that literally crumbled under Rhode Islanders’ tires. For years, we were fed photos of fresh asphalt, shiny press events, and big promises about “transforming” our infrastructure. Meanwhile, one of the most important structures in the state the westbound Washington Bridge was rotting from the inside out. That’s not bad luck. That’s bad leadership.

The forensic audit made it crystal clear: the warning signs were there. Engineers documented cracks, corrosion, and weakening supports well before the emergency shutdown in December 2023.

Yet the public was told the bridge was safe right up until the moment it wasn’t, and Alviti marched into oversight hearings insisting RIDOT had done everything right. If this is what “everything right” looks like, no wonder Rhode Islanders are stuck in traffic for hours, small businesses are losing customers, and first responders are fighting detours just to do their jobs.

So now, after all the chaos, we’re told he’s “resigning” at the end of the month. Let’s be honest: this feels less like accountability and more like a carefully timed escape hatch. You don’t get to preside over a slow‑motion disaster, contradict your own paper trail, and then quietly retire with a pension while everyone else lives with the fallout. And Alviti didn’t do it alone. He was Raimondo’s pick and McKee’s problem and McKee chose to keep him, defend him, and downplay this mess until it became politically impossible.

Rhode Islanders should be asking three hard questions right now: Who else signed off on those inspection practices? Why did it take a public crisis and a forensic audit to force this resignation? And in 2026, will voters decide that the real change we need isn’t just a new name on the RIDOT door, but a new governor who treats infrastructure and honesty as non‑negotiable? One resignation is a start. It’s not justice and it’s definitely not the finish line.