RI Senate confirms transportation head Peter Alviti Jr. for another term — how the vote went
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation and its chief, Peter Alviti Jr., will roll along over the objections of mass transit and climate activists.
Alviti, the longest-serving state Cabinet member, was confirmed Tuesday by the state Senate, 35 to 1, as DOT director.
Although Alviti's reappointment was never really in doubt, it drew opposition last week from dozens of residents and organizations who want the state to take a new approach to transportation less oriented to the automobile. They objected to Rhode Island's highway projects at a time when the state is trying to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and minimize bicycle and pedestrian deaths.
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But senators credited Alviti with overhauling a dysfunctional DOT over the last eight years and getting long-stalled bridge reconstruction projects going.
"Director Alviti has shown the ability to take on some of the state's most deep-seeded problems and seen positive results," DiPalma said. "Perhaps most importantly, progress has been made to repair our ailing bridges."
Three senators noted that Alviti always returns their phone calls and responds promptly to constituent concerns.
The lone vote against Alviti came from Providence Democratic Sen. Sam Bell, who blamed lack of DOT oversight for failing to stop the contractor rebuilding the Route 6-10 interchange from dumping contaminated fill in the area. In particular, he took aim at the state's shift to a project-management process that puts a contractor in charge of both design and construction, instead of just construction.
"We've seen a lot of disasters come out of this system," he said.
On the bigger-picture complaints about the DOT's direction, Bell said "I think it is important we position our transportation system away from uses that cause carbon pollution, and I don't think Director Alviti shares that broader philosophy."
One of Alviti's first jobs after being appointed in 2015 was to help pass a controversial truck-toll system in the General Assembly. Last year a federal judge struck down truck tolls, a decision Gov. Dan McKee is appealing.
Despite opposing truck tolls, all five Senate Republicans voted to reappoint Alviti.
Gordon Rogers, R-Foster, said Alviti is taking the DOT "in the right direction."
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The debate comes as Senate President Dominick Ruggerio moves to have the Department of Transportation take over the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, the quasi-state agency that runs the state's bus network.
On Monday night, Ruggerio grilled RIPTA CEO Scott Avedisian over an $84,000 lobbying contract RIPTA awarded to the law firm that employs former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung. Avedisian approved the contract without getting approval from the RIPTA board, something that is allowed under that agency's regulations.
In other votes Tuesday, the Senate voted to confirm State Police Superintendent Col. Darnell Weaver and Department of Labor and Training Director Matthew Weldon. Both those votes were unanimous.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI DOT chief Alviti confirmed, despite climate activists' objections
