Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. speaks to members of a House and Senate oversight panel probing years of the state’s handling of maintenance and repair work on the Washington Bridge on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti Jr. admitted to lawmakers Thursday that he has not personally reviewed engineering plans of the westbound Washington Bridge shut down in December 2023.
That’s because he said it’s ultimately up to the companies contracted by the state to look them over and identify any issues that arise — even the ones that failed to catch the broken anchor rods that put the westbound Interstate 195 highway at risk of collapse…