Peter Alviti, director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, agreed almost two months ago to do an interview about the Washington Bridge. Altivi’s office canceled the interview three days before it was supposed to happen, so we instead talked with Attorney General Peter Neronha. Here are some highlights from the interview.
Why the state’s lawsuit argued that 13 companies that worked on the bridge, rather than the state, are responsible for what went wrong.
Peter Neronha:
“Well, look, I think that that is the battleground on which this lawsuit will play out, but…this is why you hire an expert. If you hire an expert to tell you something about the condition of the bridge, how, what its future looks like, whether it needs to be replaced, if it needs to be repaired, how, then they’re ultimately responsible. If they don’t give you the kinds of answers that they should have given, you know, based on their expertise and knowledge, that’s why we hire them.
Why the state is still working with some of the contractors that it is suing?
PN: “Whether or not the state has confidence in them is a question best left for the governor. I mean, I will say that the governor has had some difficulty getting this plane off the ground and maybe that’s why he’s gone in the direction he did.”
Should RIDOT Director Peter Alviti been put under oath when he testified before a joint House-Senate Oversight hearing last month?
PN: “That’s how you get the truth out of them. Well, look, I’ve never been a legislator, so ultimately it’s their decision. But as somebody who has put a lot of cases through a grand jury and also charged cases or investigated cases without a grand jury, the function of putting somebody under oath is a better means of the truth. And that’s how I would proceed under those circumstances.”
Does the state’s bridge lawsuit block Alviti from doing interviews about the bridge?
PN: “Well, I think he has to be careful … You know, there are certain things as part of our litigation strategy, we want those things to play out in court. We don’t want them to play out in the press. But I think general questions about the state’s approach to how it ensures that Rhode Islanders can feel safe on their roads and bridges, you know, is fair game.”
Is Alviti’s reluctance to do long-form interviews about the bridge the right approach for a public official in his position?
PN: Well, look, I think it’s the right approach for any public official to be accessible to the media. You know, I prefer long-form because I feel like the decisions that I make, I wanna be in a position to explain them. I think the public has that right. And I think it serves the office well. I can’t speak for others. But whether it’s Mr. Alviti or the governor, accessibility shouldn’t be based on the timing of the public official. The media is the means by which we speak to the people who elected us and it’s why I think the better approach is to be always accessible.”
When will Rhode Islanders get accountability for what went wrong?
PN: “It depends on what Rhode Islanders and we mean about accountability …. When we’re talking about how the Department of Transportation should have functioned in this environment, that’s really a question for the governor. It’s one of his executive agencies to determine whether or not he feels like the people running DOT over this period of time that he was governor and beforehand, if he inherited it, warrants a change or a change in approach.”
What is the timeline for the state’s lawsuit to move forward and ultimately be resolved one way or another?
PN: “I think short of settlement if there’s a trial in this case, my understanding is that we’re probably looking at summer in 2027, which for your everyday Rhode Islander [that’s] gonna seem outlandish. But the reality is whether it’s a civil case or a criminal case, cases move very slowly through our state system, and there’s a lot of defendants here and a lot of discovery still to take a lot of motion practice, still… a lot of depositions to take. So I would say that we’re probably looking at 2026 or 2027 for a trial date.”
Will Rhode Island get the bridge money that was appropriated by the Biden administration?
PN: “My confidence level is mixed, I guess I would say. I worry that if this money is not obligated already by the federal government in a way that would allow us to recover it, we may be left holding a very empty bag. So it does concern me. The governor has assured the public that that money will be there in the end. I hope he’s right about that. I hope he’s been diligent enough in trying to make sure that it does come.”
This story is part of Breaking Point: The Washington Bridge, a community-centered project from Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio.
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